Somewhere Over the Moon
by goldenwanderer
Summary: The story of RENT lived out by the characters of Wicked. Eight young people in the Emerald City deal with issues of love, freedom, disease, poverty, trust, and living life. Gelphie, Bessa, Fiyero/OC, Crope/Tibbett
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is a crossover between two of the most amazing musicals of all time, 'Wicked' and 'RENT.' It's set in a universe that combines elements from the book and musical of 'Wicked', and the stage and film versions of 'RENT.' Basically, the story takes place in a more modern-day Oz (where things like phones, cars, and AIDS exist). Of course, this is still Oz, so there is still a Wizard, and Animals are still persecuted, and Winkie princes still wear diamond tattoos. This story is basically the story of RENT, as lived out by the characters of Wicked. I have taken some artistic liberties (some major and some minor), but I will attempt to stay true to the important messages of both musicals. In some parts of the story, especially during the first nine chapters or so, the action and dialogue will be very close to the actual action and dialogue in RENT. This is on purpose, so please do not get after me for borrowing these lines and songs. I have also tried to incorporate references to Wicked - if you can catch them, kudos to you. **

**I would like to make a special note about one character who will be introduced in the next chapter. The Shell Thropp that you will meet is NOT the same Shell Thropp that appears in the Wicked trilogy. Basically, I have taken the name Shell and given it to an original character of my own creation. Please be aware of this as you read. I know next to nothing about the Shell that appears in the books. This Shell is NOT that Shell. She is a character of my own creation who happens to bear a few minute similarities to her Wicked counterpart. **

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* * *

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1. **  
**

_We begin on Lurlinemas Eve in the Emerald City with me, Boq, and my roommate, Fiyero. We live in a loft on the top floor of an old building on the corner of Avenue B, which is located in the middle of the lower east side of the city. This part of the Emerald City has absolutely no emeralds at all, except for a few neon lights that come on at night, and those belong mostly to bars and clubs. This is a part of town that tourists avoid, and for good reason. Mostly, this part of town is full or homeless or next-to-homeless people, both human and Animal alike. It's also full of artists – like me._

_I didn't grow up in the Emerald City. In fact, neither did Fiyero. One of our ex-roommates, Crope, grew up here, but he's currently teaching philosophy up north at Shiz University. Not that he ever went to Shiz as a student, of course. My parents sent me there once, but I left after the first year. Actually, it was Fiyero who convinced me to drop out with him. He's never liked school, and when he invited me to come with him to the Emerald City to seek our fortunes, I couldn't say no._

_Ha. Some fortune. We live in a nearly empty loft and don't have enough money to buy more than the barest essentials. We're practically broke. Still, I don't think I'd go back. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like with money and success. It makes me wonder why I'm still here, frozen and hungry. But then my mother calls to check up on me, and I remember._

_This year, I've decided to explore that question about the life that I've chosen for myself. I'm going to do it by doing what I do best: recording and observing through the eyes of my camera. By the end of the year, I hope to have enough footage to make a documentary, though I haven't got a clue what kind of documentary it will turn out to be._

_The time right now is sometime in the 12__th__ hour, according to the Time Dragon Clock. From here on in, I shoot without a script. We'll see if anything comes of it this time, instead of my old shit._

_

* * *

_

Stepping away from the camera, Boq turned it in the direction of the young man sitting on the nearby couch. "First shot: Fiyero," Boq narrated. "Playing his guitar, as usual." He walked toward Fiyero, who didn't bother looking up as Boq approached. "Come on, Yero. Tell the folks at home what you're doing right now."

Fiyero looked up, an annoyed expression on his face. "I'm trying to write a song. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Playing the same tune you've been playing for a month?" Boq suggested.

Fiyero made a rude gesture to Boq before dropping his gaze to his guitar again and resuming his practicing.

Boq kept the camera on Fiyero for a moment longer, but was suddenly distracted by the sound of the telephone ringing. "The phone rings," he said, turning the camera in the phone's direction. "There's no way to know who might on the other end, so for sanity's sake, Fiyero and I like to screen our calls."

"Do you honestly have to narrate that?" asked Fiyero from behind Boq.

Boq looked over his shoulder. "I'm making a documentary. It's important to make verbal observations as well as visual ones."

Any response Fiyero might have had was cut off by the sound of the answering machine and their recorded message. "SPEEEEAAAK!"

"Boq dear, it's your mother," said a too-sweet voice, and Boq nearly groaned aloud. _This_, he thought, _is why we screen our calls_. "Are you there? Are you screening your calls again? Oh, well, I just called to say hello and that we'll miss you tomorrow. We would have loved to have you here for the banquet and ball tomorrow night; I'm sure there are lots of beautiful young Munchkin girls who would have loved to spend the evening with the mayor's son." Boq glanced toward Fiyero, who was now watching the phone too.

"Speaking of which," Boq's mother's voice continued, "we're sorry to hear that Miss Galinda dumped you. So let her be a lesbian – there are plenty of other girls out there. She doesn't know what she's missing!" Boq fought hard to keep himself from groaning, but couldn't help blushing, especially when he heard Fiyero laughing behind him. "Well, I must be off, Boq dearest – we're late for dinner with Morop and his family. I'll call again tomorrow before the banquet. Do try to have a merry Lurlinemas, Boq dear. We love you!"

The message ended with a beep. It was followed by silence, except for the lingering sounds of Fiyero's barely-suppressed laughter. Boq switched off his camera for a moment and turned to glare at Fiyero. "Just wait 'til _your_ mother calls," he said. "Then we'll see who's laughing."

Fiyero continued to chuckle. "_My_ mother doesn't call as often as _yours_," he pointed out. For a moment, he looked as though he wanted to comment on the Galinda thing – which, of course, was really why he was laughing – but he said nothing. Instead, he went back to his guitar.

Boq waited a moment to see if Fiyero would change his mind about saying something. When Fiyero kept playing, Boq turned his camera on and focused it again on his roommate.

* * *

_Close on Fiyero: He's actually doing really well this week. If that laughter isn't proof enough, the fact that he hasn't taken his meds in a week certainly is. But he still hasn't left the loft, and he can't even bring himself to joke about my gay ex-girlfriend. I'm not complaining about the lack of jokes at my expense, of course, but it's not like Fiyero to stay silent about something like this – or at least, it's not like the Fiyero I used to know._

_It all happened after his girlfriend killed herself almost a year ago. Fiyero had gotten her pregnant – and no, that wasn't why she killed herself. They were actually really excited about it. But then Sarima got sick – really sick. She lost the baby. Then the doctors told her she would never have children. She went crazy and started drinking and using all sorts of drugs. Fiyero tried to help, but he was really upset about the whole mess too. He handled it somehow, but she didn't. One day, he arrived at her place to find a note she wrote before slitting her wrists in the bathroom._

_That's when Fiyero snapped. Within a few weeks, his band kicked him out – then proceeded to fall apart without him. It was really rough going for a while. He saw a counselor for a while, and he's been on depression meds for most of this past year. He never answers the phone or leaves the loft, and though he spends all day with his guitar, he hasn't been able to write anything at all._

_But he _has_ been getting better. Like I said, he hasn't taken meds this week, and he's been laughing every once in a while for nearly three weeks now. Hopefully I can get him outside for Galinda's protest tonight. _

_Of course, I'm not sure exactly why _I'm_ going in the first place. Somehow, I doubt seeing my ex-girlfriend is going to make my Lurlinemas merrier. But she asked me to come, and I still can't say no to her. If Crope were here, he'd laugh at me and say that I'm still in love with her. But Crope's not here, and he doesn't even know she dumped me yet._

_Maybe once he finds out, he can get Fiyero to laugh about it with him. I'm not sure whether I'm looking forward to that or not._

_

* * *

_

Boq turned off his camera after he finished. He looked over at Fiyero, but his roommate hadn't moved. If he had heard any of what Boq had said, he apparently wasn't going to respond to it. Boq set his camera carefully on the table. There would be more for him to film later – at the protest, at least, if not anywhere else.

"Hey Fiyero," said Boq, suddenly reminded of something. "Are you planning to come to Galinda's performance tonight? We're all going to the Life Café for dinner afterward."

"I don't know, Boq," said Fiyero, who didn't look up from his guitar. "I think I'd rather just stay here."

Boq sighed. Fiyero used to be the life of every party – the sort of guy who wouldn't pass up a chance to hang out with his friends for anything in the world. It still saddened Boq to see his best friend like this, too caught up in his grief to even go to the Life Café.

"Are you sure, buddy?" Boq asked. "I know Galinda would really appreciate it. She's been working so hard on this."

Fiyero looked up and turned to face Boq. For a moment, Boq was almost sure he had changed his mind. But before Fiyero could say anything, the phone rang. Both men turned to look at the phone, but neither one moved.

"SPEEEEAAAK!"

"Hey boys! Guess who's back in town?"

"Crope!" Boq said excitedly. He hurried over to the phone and picked it up. "Crope! Where are you?"

"Outside," Crope answered. "Throw down the key."

"Sure, right away," said Boq. He moved over to the window and tossed down the key to the waiting figure on the street below.

"Thanks, man," said Crope, still over the phone.

Boq stepped away from the window and after grabbing the phone's base, went to sit by Fiyero. "See you in a minute," he said.

Crope didn't answer right away. When he spoke again, his voice had changed. He sounded rushed, almost frightened. "I may be detained," was all he said, then the line went dead.

"Detained?" Boq asked. Confused, he hung up the phone and looked over at Fiyero. "Crope just said something about being detained."

"What?" asked Fiyero.

The phone rang again, and this time, Boq quickly picked it up. "What do you mean, detained?" he asked, certain it had to be Crope on the other end. He held it up for Fiyero to hear as well.

But it wasn't. "Boq? Is that you?"

"Avaric!" Boq quickly adopted a falsely cheery voice. "Shit," he and Fiyero both whispered, once Boq had moved the phone away from his mouth.

"I've got to talk to you boys about something," said Avaric. "I'm on my way right now – should be there in a little while."

"Great!" Boq and Fiyero said. Boq moved the phone away again in time for them to simultaneously add a resounding, "Fuck."

"What do you need to talk to us about?" Boq asked.

"This past year's rent," said Avaric.

"Rent?"

"Yeah, the rent I let slide."

"Let slide?" Boq repeated, confused. "I thought you said we were golden."

"When you bought the building," said Fiyero.

"When we were roommates," Boq added. "Remember? You lived here?"

Avaric chuckled. "How could I forget?" he said. "You, me, Crope, and Galinda. By the way, how is the drama queen?"

Boq wasn't sure how to answer that. "Well," he said nervously, "she's performing tonight."

"I heard," said Avaric. "So, Boq, are you still her production manager?"

"Three days ago, I was bumped," Boq answered.

"You still dating her?"

Boq froze. He had been expecting this question, but he was not in the mood to tell Avaric the news. But he was still Boq, and Boq did not really know how to lie. "No," he answered. "Last month, I was dumped."

"Oh," said Avaric. "She got a new man?"

Boq wasn't certain whether or not it was a good thing that everyone automatically assumed that Galinda had left because she had found someone else. It fit, of course, Galinda being who she was. But in truth, that really wasn't the embarrassing part of the story.

"No, not exactly," Boq answered truthfully.

But Avaric didn't seem to believe him. "What's his name?" he asked.

Boq looked over at Fiyero, then they both leaned in together and said simply, "Elphaba."

It took Avaric a moment before he understood. Suddenly he was laughing the sort of laugh that Boq would have expected out of Fiyero or Crope. But of course, he wouldn't have been as bothered by their amusement as Avaric's.

"Well, Boq, my boy, you managed to turn a girl gay," Avaric laughed. "Congratulations."

"Gee, thanks," said Boq, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice. He wasn't often sarcastic, but being around Avaric these days had a distinctly bad effect on his disposition.

"Anyway, old chaps, rent is due," Avaric said. The tone of his voice had changed. He was back to business now. "And if you don't pay, I will have to evict you. See you in a few."

The line went dead and both men let out breaths they didn't know they were holding.

"Great," said Boq. "First he ditches us and buys out the building, now he wants us to pay rent?"

"Bastard," Fiyero muttered. He pulled out his guitar again and began to play. After a few chords, however, the guitar stopped working.

In fact, everything electric stopped working that moment. Without warning, the power was off.

"And now he turns off the power," said Boq.

"Bastard," said Fiyero.

"What are we going to do?" asked Boq.

"Light some candles," said Fiyero.

Boq rolled his eyes. "Not about that. How are we gonna pay last year's rent?"

"We can't, so we won't. It's as simple as that." Boq heard Fiyero put down his guitar and stand up. "Now help me start a fire, would you? It's gonna get real cold in here soon."


	2. Chapter 2

2.

It was cold outside on Avenue B. Night had fallen, leaving the City of Emeralds in darkness. But as most people knew, the city was far from asleep. One young man, dressed in torn jeans, an old shirt, a red coat, and a blue hat, sat by himself on the corner of the street. He was doing his favorite thing: drumming.

To some people, drumming was a simple thing. In a way, it was. All it required was the ability to hit things in some sort of unified rhythm. And yet, there was an artistry about it, a beauty to each beat. That was how the young man saw it. Simple, yet beautiful. And he was good at it.

The sound of coughing reached the man's ears, and he stopped abruptly to listen. After a moment, the coughing started again. The man stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and tucked his drum – a plastic ten-gallon tub – under his arm. Then he began to walk toward the sound. It was coming from a nearby alleyway.

Upon entering the alleyway, he saw the source of the coughing. A man lay on the ground up against one of the buildings. His knee and face were bloody. He had obviously been mugged.

"You okay, honey?" the drummer asked.

"I'm afraid so," said the other.

"They get any money?"

The other man shook his head. "Had none to get. They got my coat, but they missed a sleeve!" He held the arm with the sleeve up triumphantly.

The drummer smiled. This man was cute. He liked him already. "I'm Tibbett," he said, kneeling down beside the other.

"Friends call me Crope," he said.

"Can you move, Crope?" asked Tibbett, trying out the name. It sounded good on his tongue.

"I think so." Tibbett helped him slowly to his feet. "My, my," Crope said, seeming to take in the sight of Tibbett for the first time. "You must be an angel."

"Not quite," said Tibbett, smiling. "Come on, let's get you out of here and get you cleaned up."

"You in a hurry to be somewhere?" Crope asked. He was leaning up against the wall as Tibbett gathered up his things again.

"I've got a life support meeting to go to in a few hours," Tibbett answered. "But until then, I'm all yours."

"Life support?"

Tibbett nodded. "It's for people coping with life," he explained. "This body provides a comfortable home for the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome."

"As does mine," said Crope.

"We'll get along fine, then," said Tibbett. "You can come to the meeting too, if you want. Everyone's welcome."

Crope smiled. It was a beautiful smile, Tibbett decided. "I'd be honored," Crope said. "I've got some friends waiting for me, though. You can come visit them with me. They'd like you. I know _I_ do."

"I like you too," said Tibbett. "And I'd love to meet your friends. But first, let's get you cleaned up."

"Lead the way, angel."

* * *

Elphaba Thropp did not want to be here. She was supposed to be at home relaxing on one of her few precious days off. She was _not_ supposed to be freezing her ass off while attempting to get ready for her girlfriend's protest. She didn't even like being in this part of town. She couldn't understand why her girlfriend or younger sister would ever _choose_ to live here.

Elphaba knew she was letting her temper get the better of her. She kept reminding herself that she was doing this because she loved Galinda. Besides, she fully supported what Galinda was protesting, especially where the welfare of the Animals was concerned. This wasn't just about equality between humans and Animals – Elphaba knew that – but the fact that there were Animals involved made the event particularly important to Elphaba.

She just wished that she didn't have to be the one doing the stage managing. It was more frustrating than most of her cases at work, and she was having a whole lot less success with this venture than any of those.

The payphone rang and Elphaba quickly answered. All she managed to get out was a greeting before Galinda's voice filled her ears.

"Oh good, you're there! I got home and saw that your coat was gone, so I had to call and make sure that you were actually there, and you are!" She talked so fast that it was almost hard for Elphaba to keep up. Fortunately, she knew her girlfriend well enough to understand what Galinda was getting at.

"Yes, I'm here, honey," she said in the most reassuring voice she could manage at the moment. "Just like I said I would be. Now, have you eaten yet?"

"Well, no," said Galinda. "But my day of shopping was most successful. I promise I didn't buy much, but I _did_ find this outfit that will be perfect for…"

"That's wonderful, honey," Elphaba cut her off. "But don't change the subject."

"Elphie, I'm fine," said Galinda.

"But darling, you haven't eaten all day," said Elphaba, feeling suddenly overprotective and over-concerned about her girlfriend's well-being. "And before you say anything, no, you won't throw up. You _never_ get nervous enough in front of people to throw up. But you _will_ get sick if you don't eat something."

"Fine," Galinda pouted. "I'll eat. But that means I won't make it to the lot to help you, especially if I have to take Nessa to her meeting."

"That's all right. I'm doing fine here," Elphaba said, lying through her teeth.

Galinda seemed to sense the lie, however. "Are you sure? How's the digital delay coming along? Did it blow up again?"

Elphaba had to grit her teeth to keep from automatically answering Galinda's question affirmatively. "Not exactly," she said after a moment's hesitation. "There might have been one teeny, tiny spark, but it's nothing I can't handle."

Her voice must not have sounded reassuring enough to Galinda, because Galinda's next words were, "Maybe I should call Boq to help. He always knows how to fix that thing."

Jealousy flared up inside Elphaba as Galinda casually mentioned calling her ex-boyfriend to come help. She knew Galinda loved _her_ and not Boq. After all, Galinda had left Boq for Elphaba, not the other way around. But growing up, Elphaba had never known anyone, aside from her sisters, who was willing to accept and love her for who she was, and sometimes it was still hard to believe that Galinda was different, that she actually cared. Elphaba half-expected to wake up one day to find out that this was all just a dream. Hearing Galinda speak this casually about a former lover reminded Elphaba of how easy it would be for Galinda to choose someone else, and it scared her.

Of course, that fear usually expressed itself through thinly-veiled anger. "You're not calling Boq," Elphaba told Galinda firmly, trying her best to keep from yelling. "I told you I could be your production manager, and by Oz, I'll do it. I promise."

Galinda didn't respond for a moment, leaving Elphaba feeling tense and still a little jealous. "All right, baby," Galinda said finally. "Just try not to stress yourself out too much, okay? I don't want you getting sick either. Nessa won't appreciate it if you ruin Lurlinemas by being sick."

Elphaba laughed. "Nessa doesn't care for Lurlinemas anyway," she reminded Galinda.

"Oh, yes, I guess you're right," said Galinda, laughing.

Elphaba couldn't help but smile at the sound of Galinda's beautiful laughter. She could picture the petite blonde woman, probably all dressed in pink, her face filled with laughter. All jealousy and anger dissipated, replaced by love and affection.

"Don't forget to eat," Elphaba reminded her girlfriend. "And tell Nessa that if you don't eat, she'll hear about it from me."

"I will," said Galinda. "Be good, Elphie. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, honeybear," said Elphaba. "I love you."

The phone clicked, indicating that Galinda had hung up. Reluctantly, Elphaba stuck the phone back in its place.

As she moved back to face her current arch-nemesis, the digital delay, she couldn't help thinking about Galinda, and how her girlfriend had not responded with the words, "I love you too."

* * *

Galinda nearly jumped when she turned around after finishing her phone conversation with Elphaba to find Nessarose sitting there. _She must have wheeled herself into the room while I was talking,_ Galinda realized. Even after living here for a month, Galinda hadn't quite gotten used to having Nessa around. She supposed it wasn't much different from living with several roommates. Then again, living with friends was different than living with her girlfriend's sister. Galinda liked Nessarose, but she could never tell whether Nessa liked her or not.

"Was that Elphaba?" Nessa asked.

Galinda nodded. "She's at the lot."

"Is she having any trouble?"

"I think so," Galinda answered. "She didn't say so, exactly, but I could tell."

"That's Elphaba," said Nessa. "Everything in Oz could be going wrong and she still wouldn't admit she couldn't handle it."

That was true, Galinda knew, and very frustrating. She admired Elphaba's strength and determination, certainly, but her girlfriend's inability to ask for help sometimes drove her crazy. Galinda knew Elphie was used to doing things on her own, but she didn't have to anymore, and Galinda wished she would just open up her eyes and see that.

"I think I'll call Boq," Galinda decided out loud. "He'll be able to help her get everything ready." She knew that calling Boq meant going against what Elphaba wanted, but at this point, Galinda was getting worried, both about her girlfriend and about her protest. She knew it was unfair to both Boq and Elphaba, but she needed Boq right now. Surely Elphaba would understand that.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is a bad idea?" Nessarose asked as Galinda picked up the phone and began to dial. Galinda decided not to answer Nessa's question. It sounded rather rhetorical, anyway.

As expected, the phone rang until the answering machine came on. Galinda remembered well the screening of calls that took place in the loft, and was unsurprised. "Boq, are you there? It's Galinda," she said. She waited for a few moments, then heard the line click.

"Galinda?" Boq's voice came through the phone.

"Hi Boq," she said. "Listen, I've hired Elphie to be my production manager, but I think she's having a hard time."

"The digital delay acting up again?"

"She said there may have been a spark, but I imagine it's more than that."

Boq chuckled. "Of course. That machine will be the death of me someday."

Galinda laughed, remembering some of Boq's more epic battles with the machine. "Anyway, do you think you could stop by the lot to help her out? I'd really appreciate it," she said in her sweetest voice.

"Sure," said Boq. "Okay, I'll go right now."

"Oh, thank you so much," said Galinda. "You're such a sweetheart."

"It's no problem, really," said Boq.

"Well, thank you anyway," said Galinda. "By the way, is Yero coming tonight?"

"Um… I really don't know," said Boq. "He's been better this week, but when I asked him about it, he didn't sound too sure."

"Well, tell him I'd simply _love_ it if he could be there," said Galinda. "And that's going to be a lot of fun."

"I'll tell him."

"Thanks, and thanks again for being willing to help out at the lot. I know Elphie might not show it, but she'll appreciate it as much as I do, trust me."

"Okay," said Boq. "I'll see you later, then."

"Bye." Galinda hung up the phone and decided she was satisfied. Boq's help would make things run more smoothly, even if Elphaba didn't like it.

"Now," she said, turning back toward Nessa, "I think it's time I ate something. Elphie's already going to kill me for calling Boq; I don't need her killing me again for not eating."

She only hoped Elphaba wouldn't be _too_ mad about the whole Boq thing.

* * *

"What did she want?" Fiyero asked the moment Boq hung up the phone.

"Her equipment won't work," Boq answered. "She needs some help." He didn't bother explaining any more than that.

Fiyero looked at him curiously. "Galinda is setting up for her own performance? That doesn't sound like her."

"Not exactly," Boq admitted. "Apparently, she hired Elphaba to be her substitute production manager and…"

"Wait," Fiyero cut him off. "Elphaba? As in her new girlfriend, Elphaba?"

"Yes, Fiyero, as in the woman she left me for – that Elphaba," Boq said, annoyed. Did _everyone_ have to constantly dwell on this? "Anyway, apparently Elphaba's been having some trouble with some of the equipment, so Galinda called to see if I'd be willing to go help."

"And you said yes?" Fiyero asked. "Dude, you are such a sucker! I bet you're still in love with her, aren't you?"

"No!" said Boq, a little too quickly to be believable. "I'm just going to help out a friend."

"Whatever, dude," Fiyero said, shaking his head and returning to his guitar.

Boq grabbed his coat and camera and began to head for the door. But just before leaving, he stopped and turned to look at Fiyero again. "I'll be back in a bit," he said. "If Crope shows, talk to him. Tell him about the performance. Maybe think about coming yourself. Galinda wanted me to tell you she'd love it if you come, and that it'll be a lot of fun."

"I'll think about it," said Fiyero. "Now go off and rescue the girl who stole the heart of the girl you love."

Fiyero was answered only by the sound of the shutting door.

* * *

It had been a good night for tips at the Cat Scratch Club. It was amazing how many strange men went to clubs like these on holidays like this. It was sad to think that all of these men should have been home with their families. But as long as they brought money to tip her with, Shell wasn't complaining. Besides, she wasn't home with family either, so she really couldn't say anything against them.

Shell Thropp had been living in the Emerald City for several years now, ever since she'd been old enough to leave home. She hadn't followed her older sisters to Shiz, and their father hadn't cared. He had sent Nessarose because he loved her and because there was a chance she could be the governor of Munchkinland one day. Elphaba had been sent for the sole purpose of looking after Nessa. Nessa was the beloved daughter, after all; Elphaba and Shell were the disappointments. Elphaba's green skin had doomed her in their father's eyes from the beginning. The beginning of Shell's life, meanwhile, had occurred simultaneously with the end of her mother's. It also didn't help that Frexspar Thropp wasn't actually Shell's father – a fact proven by her darker skin and the complete lack of sexual contact between her mother and Frex around the time of her conception. Frex had raised her, but he saw her, like Elphaba, as an abomination that had helped kill his wife. As such, she'd been more than happy to get out of his house as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

But whenever she looked at where that opportunity had led her, she had to laugh. She lived alone in a rundown apartment, barely able to make rent. In fact, she hadn't made rent for a few months now. The only job she'd been able to hold down was her dancing job at the Cat Scratch Club. It was a living, but not one she'd so far been able to tell her sisters about. Elphaba was a successful lawyer, and though right now Nessa was just an artist, she was likely to become the governor of Munchkinland one day. Shell was not ashamed of her job, but she hadn't found the right time to tell her sisters about it yet.

Shell also hadn't asked Elphaba for financial help, even though she knew she probably should. She couldn't imagine Elphaba would turn her down. After all, Elphaba understood what it felt like to be an outcast and a disappointment. And besides, without Shell, Elphaba never would have met Galinda. Shell supposed her sister owed her for introducing them. But asking for money felt wrong somehow, so Shell couldn't bring herself to do it.

Still, the eviction warning sign on her door was more than enough to dampen her spirits. And on top of that, upon entering her apartment, she discovered that the power was out. _Great_, she thought. _Just great. And on Lurlinemas Eve, too._ She dumped her purse and keys on the table, but kept on her on coat. It was already starting to feel cold in here.

Shell had just collapsed on the old couch when the phone rang. Groaning, she started to move, then decided that she would let the answering machine get it. If it was important, than she could answer – or they could call back later.

"Hey, Shell, it's me, Nessarose," said her sister's voice. "Sorry I missed you. I just wanted to call and see how you were. I imagine I'll see you at the protest tonight. Galinda's very excited about it, though Elphaba's having some trouble getting everything set up. Anyway, Elphaba asked me to remind you that the offer is still open if you'd like to spend tomorrow with us. I think that's it… oh! And one last thing – Galinda's worried about one of her old roommates – Fiyero, I think it was – and she wondered whether you might be able to get him to come to the protest tonight since she can't be there herself to cheer him up. If you're here in time to hear this, maybe you could visit him and see what's up. Anyway, that's all I have to say, I think. I love you!"

The answering machine beeped and Shell groaned. The protest. She'd forgotten all about the protest tonight. It was a good thing Nessa called – Galinda would have killed her if she hadn't come.

But what was this about Fiyero? Of the five people that used to live in the apartment above hers, Galinda was the only one Shell knew well. In fact, though she had heard plenty about Fiyero, she had never actually met him. She wasn't so sure she wanted to meet him now, but Galinda apparently wanted her help, and she wasn't about to turn her friend down. From what she had heard about Fiyero, it would do him some good to get out. Besides, if Galinda's reports were accurate, the boy was very attractive, and Shell was certainly not one to turn down the chance to meet an attractive man.

So Shell stood up, adjusted her coat, and began looking around the apartment until she found what she needed. She had a few tricks up her sleeve, and she doubted even Fiyero would be able to resist lighting her candle.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. They are very much appreciated. The first part of this chapter was one of my favorite scenes to write. The second half was a little trickier, but I hope you enjoy them both.**

3.

_Close on Boq: I'm about to dive head-first into a pool full of anxiety, jealousy, and tension. In other words, I'm about to meet the woman for whom my girlfriend left me in an attempt to help her. Against her will, I might add._

_Sounds like fun, doesn't it?_

_The closer I get to the lot, the stupider I feel for saying yes to Galinda's request. Fiyero was right; I _am_ a sucker. All I can do now is try to convince myself that I'm doing this to save the protest and help the homeless, rather than just because my ex-girlfriend asked me._

_Please note, folks at home: Boq is in way over his head._

_

* * *

_

"Line in," Elphaba read. "Line out." She was trying to figure out how to work the accursed machine, but it obviously had no intention of cooperating with her. "I went to Shiz for this?" she muttered to herself. She couldn't understand why this had to be so difficult. It was just a stupid machine, after all.

"Excuse me." A voice behind her nearly made Elphaba jump. She stood up quickly and turned to see who had spoken. It was a young man, shorter than her and obviously of Munchkin origins. His sandy blonde hair was cut short, but messy, and he wore a distinct blue and white scarf. It only took Elphaba a few moments to realize who he was.

"Boq?" she asked, surprised.

The man nodded. "You must be Elphaba," he said.

"What gave me away?" she asked, though it was more of an annoyed statement than a question. She had no doubt at all as to exactly which physical characteristic had made her so easy to recognize.

Boq was smart enough not to answer her question. "I heard you've been having some trouble with the equipment," he said instead. "I was wondering if maybe I could help."

"No, thank you," said Elphaba. "I've hired an engineer." It was a lie, of course. If there were engineers working today, she doubted they would be interested in taking a job as silly as this. But she had no intention of looking herself like an idiot in front of her girlfriend's ex.

"Um… great," said Boq. "Wonderful. So, I guess I'll just be going then." He began to step backward away from her. "It was nice to have met you." He turned around and began to walk away.

Suddenly, Elphaba began to panic. "Wait!" she called out before she could stop herself. Boq stopped and turned around. He didn't say anything. He just looked at her, waiting. Elphaba grimaced and swore to herself that she would kill Galinda for this. "The engineer… he's late." It was a pathetic excuse, and it made her engineer story sound even less believable, but she didn't care.

"Oh," said Boq. He began to walk back toward her. "So, what's the problem?"

"Well, the samples won't delay, but the cable…" She stopped halfway through her sentence, all-too aware that she really had no idea what she was talking about.

Boq knelt down beside the machine and looked it over. "There's another way," he said. "Say something," he added, pointing in the direction of the microphone. "Anything."

Elphaba was relieved to hear that Boq could fix it, but was still unhappy about the whole situation. She stepped awkwardly to the microphone and muttered, "Test one, two, three…"

"Anything but that," said Boq. "Please, say anything but that."

Elphaba sighed. "This is weird," she said, not into the microphone.

"Very weird," Boq agreed.

"Ugh!" Elphaba groaned. The tension and awkwardness of the situation only made her angrier and more frustrated than before. She lifted one hand to her head, certain she felt a headache coming on. "I'm so mad, I… oh, I don't know _what_ to do!" She stepped away from the microphone, glaring at it. "Fighting with microphones and sound machines, freezing down to my bones… and now, to top it all off, I'm with you!" Now she glared at Boq, one of the last people she wanted to be with right now.

"Oh, I see now," said Boq, standing up. "You're upset because Galinda called me, aren't you?"

_Obviously_, Elphaba thought. She had to fight hard to keep that from being the first thing out of her mouth. "Maybe," she said, unwilling to give Boq the satisfaction of seeing her discomfort, but not quite able to lie, either. "I told her not to call you."

"That's Galinda," said Boq, shrugging. "Always ready to call or talk to anyone, even if you don't want her to." He sounded completely unsurprised by this fact. Elphaba swallowed hard. She knew it was true. Galinda was very social… sometimes a little _too_ social for Elphaba's liking.

Boq stepped out from behind the machine and moved toward her. He looked her up and down for a moment, and Elphaba was struck with the feeling that this conversation was about to get even more unpleasant. "I'd be willing to bet," Boq said finally, "that you feel like your brain's on fire right now, or that you're about to go insane. You might even be seriously considering drinking gasoline."

Elphaba gulped. "As a matter of fact…"

"Honey, I _know_ this act," said Boq. "I lived it. It's like a… a dark, dizzy merry-go-round… or like a tango you can't keep up with. The Tango: Galinda." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "You know, that sounds about right. The Tango: Galinda. I like it."

"I'm not sure _I_ do," said Elphaba. She wondered absently why she was still letting Boq talk to her. She could have just asked him to finish the job, but instead, she was letting him go on and on. Maybe it was because of the way he seemed to know exactly what she was feeling. It was – for lack of a better word – spooky.

"So, has she ever pouted her lips and called you 'pookie'?" Boq asked.

Elphaba shook her head. The pouting she had gotten many times before, but Galinda usually called her "Elphie" or "baby," but not "pookie."

"Have you ever doubted a kiss or two?"

Elphaba froze. "This _is_ spooky," she whispered.

Boq must have heard it, though, because he was suddenly smiling. "You see?"

"Look, Boq, you're wrong," Elphaba said firmly. It was time to get back her dignity, or at least the upper-hand. "It's different with me."

"Right," said Boq, not sounding convinced at all. "So you never swoon when she walks through the door."

_Of course I do,_ Elphaba thought. _How could I not? I swoon just _thinking_ about her._ But she wasn't about to tell Boq that, so she decided to turn the question on him instead. "Did you?" she asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Every time," said Boq. "So be cautious."

Elphaba suddenly felt as though her stomach was beginning to turn inside-out. She knew that asking Boq this next question would make things worse, but she couldn't not ask him now. "Did she… did she moon over other boys while you were together?"

Boq nodded. "More than moon, in fact."

Elphaba could have sworn she tasted bile in her mouth. She wanted to vomit.

"You alright?" Boq asked.

"I'm just a little nauseous," Elphaba admitted, though she had no idea why she had told him that.

"Sit down for a minute," Boq suggested, motioning to the steps leading up to the stage. Elphaba didn't hesitate at all. Sitting on cold, hard stairs had never looked so good. Now if the room would just stop spinning…

Boq went back to the equipment and resumed working. They were quiet for a minute. The queasiness slowly began to settle down, but Elphaba's mind was still racing. She kept remembering incident after incident of watching Galinda flirt with other people right before her eyes. She had always tried to dismiss it, but hearing that Boq had gone through the same thing made her heart ache as much as her stomach and head had a moment ago.

"So… she cheated?" Elphaba asked. She had no idea why she asked. She knew for a fact that she did not want to hear the answer. Nevertheless, she looked at Boq, who looked up from what he was doing and sighed.

"Well, I know she cheated on me with you," he told her. "As for the others… well, I don't _know_, but I'd say it's highly likely she cheated at least one other time."

The nauseous feeling returned with full force, despite the fact that Elphaba had known those words were coming. She buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Oz, she cheated," she muttered. She sat like that for a moment, then threw up her hands. "I'm defeated – I should just give up right now."

"Don't do that," said Boq. "Just look on the bright side. She may not be Galinda the Good, but she's better than what most people could ever get."

"It doesn't matter anyway," said Elphaba. "She could do the worst things imaginable and I'd fall for her still, anyhow." She knew that much was true. Even after hearing that Galinda had cheated on Boq, just the thought of her was enough to capture and hold onto Elphaba's heart.

"Well, when you're dancing the Tango: Galinda, you don't stand a chance," Boq said. "She's got a grip of romance tight enough to make anyone fall. And once she's got a hold on you, you can't let go unless she does. In the end, you can't leave her."

"So I'm reduced to pretending to believe her," said Elphaba. "Fabulous. I might as well be dancing a tango to hell."

"At least you've tangoed at all," said Boq. He stood up from behind the machine. "I think this is ready to go. Try the mike."

Elphaba reluctantly stood up and moved to the mike, forcing back the nausea. "My Galinda," she said into the mike, and to her relief, the last syllable echoed several times before dying away.

"We're patched," said Boq.

"Thanks," said Elphaba. At least that took _one_ worry off her mind.

"You know, I feel great now," said Boq. He had a grin plastered on his face.

"I feel… lousy," she admitted. A moment later, the pay phone rang. Elphaba wasn't sure she wanted to answer since she knew it would be Galinda on the other end, but whatever she was feeling at the moment, Galinda was still her girlfriend, and she was still Galinda's production manager. So she stepped past Boq and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Elphie, it's me. I nearly forgot – do you have the cowbell? I really need it. The show won't work without it."

"Yes, honey, I have the cowbell."

"Oh good. And has Boq arrived yet, pookie? I know you told me not to call him, but…"

"Pookie?" Elphaba repeated, remembering what Boq had said about that name. "You never call me pookie!"

"What?" asked Galinda, obviously confused as to why that would be important.

"Forget it. We're patched," said Elphaba. Then she hung up the phone. The sound of barely muffled laughter came from behind her, and she turned to glare at Boq. She gave him her best annoyed look.

"Pookie," Boq said, mocking her.

"Shut up," said Elphaba, wishing he would have done that five minutes ago. Then this whole conversation wouldn't have happened, and she'd be less nauseous right now.

* * *

Fiyero continued to strum his guitar for several minutes after Boq left. But after a while, his mind started to wander. His mind wandering while playing used to mean he was about to come up with a great idea for a new song. Now, however, his mind was blank, as it had been for months. He couldn't find the music anymore. By now, that fact caused him more grief than the lingering pain over losing Sarima and their child. He had mostly come to terms with those losses. But losing the music… that was what drained him of the will to feel alive.

"Just one song," Fiyero whispered to himself. "That's all I need. Just one great song…"

Angrily, he set aside his guitar. It wasn't working. If there _was_ a "one song glory" out there, it didn't seem to want to find him. Maybe he would be better off going home again. His parents would love it, he knew. But would he? They'd probably send him off to school again, or find him some meaningless job somewhere where he could make lots of money. Then again, was that meaningless job more or less meaningless than the meaningless existence he lived right now?

"Just one song," Fiyero said again, almost as though he were begging the powers-that-be to give him one more chance. If he could have just one song, there would be no more meaninglessness.

A knock on the door pulled Fiyero out of his reverie. He didn't like to answer the door – he didn't like to do most things anymore – but there was no one else around. _Probably Crope_, he thought. _Took him long enough_.

But when Fiyero opened the door, it was not Crope who stood before him. It was a girl. She had long brown hair that glistened in the moonlight and deep brown eyes. Her skin was not nearly as dark as his own, but it was a darker shade than that of most Ozians outside of Winkie country. Most curiously, a pattern of four small blue diamond tattoos stood out against the skin on her left cheek. She didn't look like she came from one of the noble families in the Vinkus, but who else wore those sorts of tattoos? She _did_ look familiar – perhaps he had met her once at one of those parties he had been to as a kid – but to be honest, he couldn't place her.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Do you have any matches?" she asked. She held out a small candle toward him. "Would you light my candle?"

"Sure, sure," said Fiyero. He had a small box of matches still in his pocket after the candle-lighting spree he and Boq had gone on earlier that night. He lit one of the matches, then held it to the candle until the flame caught. "You're shivering," he noticed as he went back to watching the girl.

"It's cold," the girl said. "They turned out the heat, remember?"

"Oh, right," said Fiyero, feeling a bit stupid. He hadn't spoken to anyone except Boq in months, and whatever charismatic skills he had once possessed seemed to have vanished, especially now that he was in the presence of a pretty girl. He had obviously lost his touch. _Great job, Fiyero_, he said to himself. _Real smooth_.

He looked the visitor over again. "You look familiar," he told her. "Have I seen you around somewhere?"

She took a few steps into the apartment and looked around. "I _do_ live downstairs," she reminded him. "Do you mind if I come in?" Fiyero shook his head. He wasn't used to having visitors, but he felt it was rude not to let her come in for a moment. "Thanks," she said. "Nice place, by the way."

"It's not much," Fiyero said, suddenly aware of the current messy state of the loft. Usually, the mess didn't bother him, but he doubted it was making a good first impression.

"It's bigger than my place," she said, still wandering around and looking at the apartment.

Fiyero wasn't sure what to say to that. Besides, she still answered his question. "I still think I've seen you somewhere before," he said. "And _not_ from downstairs," he added quickly. "Did you ever go to any parties in the Vinkus?"

The girl turned around to face him. She looked momentarily confused, then seemed to understand. "I've never been to Winkie country," she said. She almost sounded as though she were about to elaborate, but she didn't. Instead, she turned away from him and continued her exploration of the loft.

Fiyero decided against asking about the blue diamond tattoos on her face. It seemed too personal a question to ask someone he had just met. But he was still sure that he had seen this girl somewhere before, even if it hadn't been at one of those Oz-awful parties his parents had dragged him to. "I'm _sure_ I've seen you before, when I used to go out."

The girl turned back toward him. "Used to?"

"Yeah," said Fiyero, instantly regretting that particular choice of words. "I… haven't gotten out much lately." That was an understatement, but he didn't feel like going into detail.

"I see," she said. She turned away again, this time apparently looking out the window. As she stood there, Fiyero found himself staring at the way her hair shone in the moonlight. Without realizing it, he took a few steps toward her. He stopped abruptly when she turned around again. "It's out again," she said, holding out her candle, which was now lacking a flame.

Fiyero pulled out another match and moved to light the candle again. "So," he asked as he waited for the flame to catch, "do you have any idea where I might have seen you?"

She looked at him carefully for a moment. She looked hesitant to speak. Fiyero guessed that she _did_ have an idea, but that it wasn't one she was sure she wanted to share. But a moment later, that hesitancy left her face, and she looked confident once again. "Do you go to the Cat Scratch Club?" she asked. "That's where I work – I dance."

Then Fiyero remembered. He had only ever gone to that club once. Crope had dared Boq to go to a club, and since Boq had been afraid to go alone, Fiyero had gone with him. He didn't remember much about that night, but he _did_ remember wondering why a girl with blue diamond tattoos – the symbol of Winkie nobility – would ever take a job dancing at a nightclub in the Emerald City. But that had been back before the trouble with Sarima, and he had been drunk that night, so it had been all but forgotten.

"Yes, I remember," he said to her. "They tied you up."

"It's a living," she said, suddenly sounding defensive, though Fiyero was sure he had not said anything intended to offend her. He certainly wasn't judging her for where and how she worked – she probably made more money than he ever had.

He didn't say anything in response to that, not wanting to further upset her. She stared at him for a minute, perhaps expecting a response, but after a while of getting nothing from him, she gave up. She turned and walked over to sit down on the couch, where his guitar was still sitting.

"Is this yours?" she asked. Fiyero nodded. "So you play?"

"Yes," he said. "It's out of tune right now, though." That was a lie, but he wasn't in the mood for playing right now, at least not in front of someone. He turned away from the couch, avoiding her gaze, hoping she would take the hint and not continue that particular conversation.

"It's out again," the girl said. Fiyero turned and saw her walking toward him. She was holding the dark candle. "Would you light my candle?"

Fiyero nodded and pulled the last match out of the box. Once the candle was lit, he looked back up at her. She was smiling at him. She had a beautiful smile. And the way the candlelight made the diamonds on her cheek shine…

"Where did you get your tattoos?" he asked, unable to restrain himself this time. "You said you've never been to the Vinkus, but only Winkie nobles have tattoos like that."

Surprisingly, her smile didn't fade, but grew wider instead. "Does that make _you_ a noble?" she asked.

Fiyero swallowed and nodded. "Yes," was all he said.

"Interesting," she said. Her smile faded so that her face was mostly expressionless once more. She turned and walked a few steps away, then turned back again. "I grew up in Munchkinland," she said after a short time of silence. "My mother's husband raised me. He has a… a certain _authority_ in that region. But he isn't actually my father." She began to move around the room again, not quite looking at Fiyero as she spoke. "That honor belongs to some Winkie nobleman who came for a visit and ended up seducing my easily-seduced mother." Fiyero's eyes grew wide at the way this girl spoke of her mother. She happened to look over just then and saw the surprise in his eyes. "Oh, don't act so shocked," she said. "I'm speaking the truth. My mother had a weakness for men. I'm living proof of that."

She went back to her wandering. "Anyway, I never met the man who fathered me. I never met my mother, either, actually – she died the day I was born. But the man I've always called Father never failed to keep me in the dark about who my real father was, even if he kept it a secret from the general public. So when I came here, to the city, and found out about the diamond tattoo tradition among Winkie nobles, I decided to get a few in honor of my heritage. One represents my mother," she said, pointing to the top tattoo, "and the other three are for me and my two half-sisters." She pointed to the other three. "Besides," she added, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face, "the owners of the club think the tattoos give me a little extra… _flair_."

Fiyero couldn't argue with that. There was certainly something extra special about this girl. It made the blue diamond tattoos fit perfectly. "They look very nice," he said.

She smiled and stepped back toward him. This time, she came much closer than she had come before. "What about you?" she asked. "When did you get yours done? You've got quite a lot of them." She reached up and touched his cheek. "They're beautiful," she added, mesmerized. She stroked his cheek, her fingers gently touching each of the sparkling blue diamonds.

Fiyero shivered at her touch, and as soon as he realized this, he backed away quickly. "I was fourteen," he said.

"I like them," the girl said. Fiyero half-expected her to reach out and touch them again, and to his shock, he almost _wanted_ her to. He felt himself blush as he remembered the way her hand had felt against his cheek and how it had made him shiver with pleasure. He looked away, embarrassed.

"Look, you should probably go," he said. "I'm… I'm expecting company soon. A friend of mine's just got back to town, and he should be here any minute now." He silently thanked Oz that Crope had chosen tonight to return to the city. It gave him a good excuse for getting her to leave, at the very least.

"Of course," the girl said. "I understand." She began to move toward the door. But when she reached it, she knocked on the frame and turned around.

"It's out again?" Fiyero asked, seeing that the candle was dark once more.

The girl nodded. "Would you light my candle?" she asked.

"That was my last match."

"Oh well," she said, stepping back toward him. "Our eyes will adjust. Thank Oz for the moon."

_No kidding_, Fiyero thought absently, looking again at her hair in the moonlight. Then he caught himself staring again and turned away.

"So…" the girl said, "you doing anything later? After your friend visits, of course." She was now dangerously close to him again, but he found that he couldn't move away.

"I – I don't know how long the visit will take," Fiyero said, sounding rather pathetic. But he didn't know what else to say to her. She was just too damn beautiful for him to handle right then.

She smiled a distinctly devious smile. "Well, I was planning to go to that protest tonight out on Avenue A. Maybe I'll stop by a little later? See if you're free?"

"I don't know…"

"I do not take no," she told him. Then she turned around and began to walk back toward the door.

"Wait!" Fiyero called, though he immediately regretted it. _You wanted her to go, but when she _does_ leave, you call her back? What is wrong with you?_ "I don't even know your name."

"If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine," she said.

"Fiyero," he said. "I'm Fiyero."

The girl turned around to face him once more, and for a moment, Fiyero could have sworn that the blue diamonds on her face were glowing on their own.

"They call me Shell," she said, and with a wink, she turned and was gone.

"Shell," Fiyero repeated, his voice dropped to a whisper. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but he found he couldn't move, not as long as the image of the beautiful girl he had just met was stuck in his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

When Boq returned to the loft, he found Fiyero in exactly the same place he had left him – sitting on the couch, playing his guitar. But when he opened the door, instead of just ignoring him like he usually did, Fiyero's head jerked upward to see who had entered. Boq could almost swear he'd seen a hint of disappointment when Fiyero realized who it was.

"How'd it go?" Fiyero asked.

"Better than I thought it would," Boq answered. He set his coat and camera on the table. "For me, anyway. I might have unintentionally depressed Miss Elphaba by talking about Galinda, but _I_ feel much better about the whole situation now."

Fiyero looked confused, but shook his head and said, "I don't think I want to know. But hey, did you save the protest?"

Boq nodded. "The show will go on as planned, provided Elphaba doesn't kill Galinda first."

"You told her about the cheating thing, didn't you?"

"I might have mentioned it," Boq admitted. "But only because she asked, I swear."

"Whatever, dude," said Fiyero, starting to laugh a little. "I'm sure she appreciated hearing _that_ on Lurlinemas Eve."

"When I left, she was torn between wanting to throw up and wanting to rip someone's head off," said Boq, laughing a little alongside his roommate. It _was_ rather funny, now that he thought about it. "But what about you? You seemed a bit jumpy when I came in. Something happen here while I was gone?"

Fiyero's gaze immediately left Boq, and a slight blush colored his cheeks. But before he could confirm or deny anything, the door to the loft slid open.

* * *

_Enter Crope: philosopher, entertainer, technology expert, vagabond anarchist, and our ex-roommate. He's been living and teaching at Shiz University for the last few months. Of all the roommates Fiyero and I have had, Crope is the only one we'd gladly take back. And I do mean that. After my little talk with Miss Elphaba, I'm glad Galinda's gone. And as for Avaric… well, let's just say that although this loft can be quite messy, it's far too clean to be accommodating to yuppie scum like him._

_

* * *

_

"Look what I brought, boys!" said Crope, dropping a ten-gallon tub full of food – and drinks – at their feet.

"This is enough for a real Lurlinemas feast!" Boq exclaimed. "Where'd you get the money for all this?"

"He must have struck gold at Shiz," said Fiyero, who had gotten off the couch to come look at what Crope had brought.

"No, actually," said Crope. "They expelled me for my theory of actual reality. So I came back home. Hey, how about a hug for an old friend?"

Boq stepped right up and threw his arms around Crope. "It's good to see you again, buddy."

"You too, Boq," said Crope. They separated and Crope threw a glance in Fiyero's direction.

"Hey," said Fiyero.

"Is that all I get after seven months?" asked Crope, obviously trying to sound offended. "Come here, kid." Fiyero stepped forward and let Crope hug him. "That's better," said Crope. "Sounds like someone needs a drink." He bent down, pulled a bottle out of the tub, and handed it to Fiyero.

"So tell us," said Boq. "How did you get the money for all this if you were kicked out of Shiz?"

"Well, gentlemen," Crope began, "our benefactor on this Lurlinemas Eve – whose generosity is only matched by talent, I must say – is the newest member of our sorry group of misfits, vagabonds, and artists." He moved to the door, and as he spoke, he slid it open. "I would like to introduce you to the angel of Avenue A, Tibbett!"

Into the apartment walked a woman with short black hair, vivid make-up, a bright blue and white coat, and black and white striped tights. She waltzed in, a pair of drumsticks tucked into a black belt and a fan of money in each hand.

"Today for you, tomorrow for me," she said, and Boq suddenly realized that this was not a woman at all. Boq had seen drag queens around before, but he had never actually met one. He stared in surprise as Tibbett went around and gave money to both Boq and Fiyero.

"You should hear her play the drums," said Crope. "It's like nothing I've ever heard."

"So you earned this on the street?" Boq asked, unable to imagine how someone could earn this much out there without having a real paying job.

Tibbett smiled. "It was my lucky day today," she said. "I was playing on Avenue A when a lady in a limousine drove my way. She said, 'Darling, I haven't slept in a year. I need your help to make my neighbors' yappy dog disappear. Their akita, Evita, just won't shut up, but I believe if you play non-stop, that cur will bark itself to death.' She offered me a thousand Oz-dollars, tax-free, if I would help her."

"Wait," said Fiyero. "She paid you to kill an Animal?"

Tibbett shook her head. "I would never do that, honey," she said. "This was one of those poor things that was raised in a cage so it would never speak. Some people find it amusing to actually _own_ one of those poor, unfortunate souls."

Fiyero shook his head in disgust. "Bastards," he said.

"Exactly," Tibbett agreed. "Anyway, I had no idea the operation would go so well. But as sure as I'm here, that poor dog is now in a better place. After an hour of my playing, Evita leapt into the courtyard of the Gracie Mews, all the way from the 23rd story. My benefactor was freed from the dog's noise, and I got the best Lurlinemas present I have ever received."

"Wow," said Boq. "That's amazing. Congratulations."

"Thanks, darling," said Tibbett, smiling at him.

"So how'd you meet Crope?" Boq asked. "And where the hell have you been, anyway?" he added, turning to Crope. "I threw down the key ages ago."

"Like I said on the phone, I was detained," said Crope.

"He was mugged," Tibbett explained, putting her hands around Crope's shoulders and beginning to massage them. "I met my sweet in an alley on Avenue B. I was playing on the street again when I found him moaning and groaning on the cold concrete. I took him back to my place, cleaned him up, tended his wounds, and brought him back here."

"She's a real angel," said Crope.

Oh, thanks sweetie," said Tibbett. "Now, why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

"Right," said Crope. "Well, the kid over here with the camera is Boq, and the other is Fiyero."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," said Tibbett, reaching out to shake Boq's hand first, then Fiyero's.

"Likewise," said Boq.

"Now, Boq sounds like a Munchkinlander name," she said. "You wouldn't be a Munchkin, by any chance?"

Boq nodded. "I'm from Rush Margins."

"Very interesting," she said. "And what about you, Fiyero? Those tattoos mean that you're Winkie nobility, right?"

"Yeah," said Fiyero. "How did you know?"

"I've lived in the Emerald City all my life, mostly on the streets," said Tibbett. "It's amazing what you can learn just by watching and listening to people."

"I know what you mean," said Boq. "That's what I do with my camera."

"Started that documentary yet?" asked Crope.

"Just started today," said Boq. "I haven't gotten much so far, but I'm planning on getting some footage tonight at the protest."

"What protest?" asked Crope.

"Avaric's planning to evict the homeless from the tent city next door so he can build some sort of cyber-studio," Boq explained.

"For humans only, of course," Fiyero added. "Animals won't be allowed."

"Right," said Boq. "So Galinda's put together a performance to protest it all."

"Wait," said Crope. "Galinda's doing this?"

"That's right," said Boq.

"And it's tonight?" Boq nodded. "Shouldn't you be down there, you know, doing your stage managing thing?"

Boq exchanged glances with Fiyero, who was already starting to look ready to laugh at Boq's expense. "I'm not her production manager anymore," Boq told Crope. "She bumped me a few days ago."

"Why?" asked Crope, looking from Boq to Fiyero and back again. Neither one answered. "Did something happen between you two?"

Boq sighed. The truth would get out eventually. He knew it would be better to tell Crope now than to let him figure it out upon seeing Galinda with Elphaba. "She dumped me," he said. "A month ago. For a lawyer named Elphaba."

"Elphaba?" Crope repeated. "Isn't that a…?"

"Girl's name?" Boq finished. "Yes, it is."

"So Galinda left you for…"

"A woman. Yes," said Boq.

Fiyero began chuckling. Crope still looked confused, but Boq knew he would start laughing any minute now.

"Wait," said Crope. "Galinda's a lesbian now?"

"Apparently," said Boq.

That was enough to push both Crope and Fiyero over the edge. But this time, as they started laughing, Boq realized how funny it sounded. Talking to Elphaba must have helped him get over Galinda more than he realized. He soon found himself laughing along with his friends.

Their laughter was cut off by the sound of the door sliding open. All four turned around and found themselves face to face with Avaric. He was blond, tall, and very good-looking, but to the four friends, he was just a piece of scum.

* * *

_Close-up: Avaric Tenmeadows, our other ex-roommate. We got along fine until he married Pfannee Grey of the Lower Uplands. Then he bought our building and the lot next door, thanks to money he acquired from his father-in-law. He's always been somewhat of a jerk, but having money and power makes him much, much worse. He's also started to adopt the general public's view about Animals – or really, about anyone who's even the slightest bit different. People like us._

_

* * *

_

"What do you want, Avaric?" asked Fiyero.

"I need the rent," said Avaric.

"You're wasting your time," Fiyero told him. "We're broke."

"And you broke your word," Boq added. "You told us we wouldn't have to pay."

"Well, there _is_ one way you won't have to pay," said Avaric.

"Of course there is," said Boq. "Always thinking of yourself, aren't you?"

"Any owner of a building – or a lot, for that matter – has the right to do with it as he pleases," Avaric said. "Soon, with my new studio in place, we'll finally make our dreams a reality. Just imagine – a place where you can do your work _and_ get paid."

"A place where Animals aren't even allowed?" asked Fiyero. "What kind of place is that?"

"A place for the future," said Avaric, putting one of his hands on Fiyero's shoulder. "Look, if you boys want to make films or write songs, you need somewhere to do it! All you have to do is one small favor for me, and I'll guarantee – on paper – that you can stay here for free from now on."

"And just what is this favor?" Boq demanded.

"Just convince Galinda to cancel her protest," said Avaric.

Boq rolled his eyes. Getting Galinda to stop her protest would be impossible, and he knew Avaric knew that. "Why not just get an injunction or call the Gale Force?"

"I did," said Avaric, "and they're on standby. But my investors would prefer that I handle this quietly. That's where you boys come in. Just stop the protest and you'll have it made."

He stepped toward the door, but before leaving, he turned around to say one last thing. "You'll see, boys. I'm doing you a favor here. You'll see… or you'll pack." With that, he walked out the door and slid it shut behind him.

"Bastard," said Crope.

"My sentiments exactly," said Fiyero.

"Did you expect anything different from the guy who turned off our power on Lurlinemas Eve?" asked Boq.

"Well, much as I'd like to stay and vent frustration about Avaric, I've got a life support meeting to go to," said Tibbett. "I know Crope has already agreed to join me, but the two of you are more than welcome to come too. It's not just for people with AIDS."

"Sure, I'll come along," said Boq. "Do you think they'd mind if I brought my camera along?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, honey," said Tibbett. "What about you, Fiyero?"

"I… think I'd rather stay here," said Fiyero. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Tibbett. "We can meet up with you later at the protest."

"You _are_ going to the protest, aren't you?" asked Crope.

"I – I'm not sure," Fiyero answered.

"It would be good for you," said Boq. "You have to get out of the loft sometime."

"I guess," said Fiyero. He looked nervous, the way he always looked when anyone tried to get him to go anywhere. But he looked more nervous than usual, Boq noticed.

"Is something wrong?" Boq asked.

"What? No," Fiyero answered quickly. "I was just… well I was wondering whether either of you ever met the girl that lives downstairs."

Boq exchanged confused glances with Crope. "You mean Shell, Galinda's friend?" asked Crope.

"Yeah," said Fiyero, but a moment later, a confused look appeared on his face. "She's a friend of Galinda's?"

"I guess," said Crope. "Don't you remember? She used to tell us about hanging out with Shell sometimes. I don't think she ever introduced us, though."

"Why do you want to know?" asked Boq.

"Nothing," said Fiyero. "It's nothing. She came up here earlier asking for some matches, that's all."

Boq wasn't convinced that Fiyero was telling the whole story, and based on the expression on Crope's face, he didn't completely believe it either.

"Fine," said Crope. "So we'll see you later, then?"

"We'll see," said Fiyero.

Crope and Tibbett seemed satisfied, so they walked out the door. But Boq was overly curious and couldn't help continuing to press his friend for information. "She wanted more than matches, didn't she?"

Fiyero looked away. "Maybe."

"Come on, tell me," said Boq. "What did she want?"

"To hang out, I guess," said Fiyero. "She – she invited me to go to the protest with her."

"And what did you tell her?"

"I said I wasn't sure."

Boq wasn't surprised, but he _was_ disappointed. He didn't know a thing about this Shell girl, but if she was trying to get Fiyero out of the loft, then Boq was all for it. "I think you should take her up on her offer," he said. "Everybody wants you to be there tonight. I'm sure you and her would have a lot of fun."

"Look, I'll think about it," said Fiyero. "But I'm not making any promises."

"Fine," Boq sighed. "I'll see you later."

Reluctantly, Boq slid the door open, stepped into the hall, and slid the door shut behind him. As he walked down the stairs past the apartment below theirs, he whispered a silent prayer to whatever god was out there, unnamed or otherwise, that this Shell girl would be able to do what none of them had yet accomplished: getting Fiyero to go out and have some fun.

* * *

The room in which the life support meeting took place was larger than Boq expected. A bunch of chairs were arranged in a circle. In the chairs were a number of people, of all shapes and sizes. There were even a few Animals present – a Goat and a Dog, both speaking with the person next to them. Tibbett led Crope over to a pair of open seats, but Boq did not move to sit right away. He lingered in the back, clutching his camera and watching.

"Are we ready to begin?" asked a man on one side of the circle. Boq assumed that this was the leader. "Fine, then. Why don't we start by introducing ourselves?"

One by one, each person sitting in the circle gave his or her name. The group leader, Paul, was the last to introduce himself.

"And what about you?" Paul asked, turning to look directly at Boq. "What is your name?"

"Oh, I'm not…" Boq began, suddenly even more nervous than before. "I mean, I don't have…" That would be rude to say, he realized. "I'm here with…" _Just spit something out_, he thought. "Boq," he said at last. "I'm Boq."

"Welcome, Boq," said Paul. "Please, sit down. Join us."

"Um, sure," said Boq. "Would – would any of you have a problem if I filmed a little of this? It's for a documentary." He held up his camera to show them.

The others in the room stared blankly at Boq. A few shook their heads, though most didn't move. But none nodded to say that they had a problem. "Make yourself comfortable, Boq," said Paul. "There is a seat over here, by Nessarose, if you would like to have it." He gestured to an empty seat next to a young woman in a wheelchair.

Boq froze for a moment upon seeing the young woman in the wheelchair. She had long brown hair that fell neatly over her shoulders, smooth pale skin, and beautiful brown eyes. As he looked at her eyes, he was vaguely reminded of Elphaba, though he had absolutely no idea why.

He walked quietly around the circle until he reached the chair that Paul had indicated. He sat down awkwardly, still holding onto his camera, which he had not turned on just yet. He was about to do just that when a voice next to him distracted him.

"You're not alone," said the voice. To Boq's ears, it had a soft, musical quality. It belonged, of course, to Nessarose, the girl in the wheelchair next to him. Nervously, he turned his head in her direction. Her eyes stared straight into his, unafraid.

"Wh – what do you mean?" Boq asked.

"I don't have AIDS either," she answered. "Almost everyone here does, but once in a while, we get someone who comes who doesn't."

"But if you don't have it, why are you here?" he asked.

"Later," she whispered in response. "The meeting's starting." She paused for a moment, then motioned to his camera. "You might want to turn that on now."

"What?" Boq asked, momentarily confused. Then, blushing, he said, "Oh, yes," and quickly turned on his camera. He looked over at Nessarose again, but she had turned back to face the group. Boq was somewhat relieved, considering his face still felt bright red.

"Let's begin with the affirmation," said Paul. "For our newcomers, just feel free to listen this time if you wish, or you can join us whenever you feel comfortable."

Then, to Boq's amazement, the group began to sing. It wasn't anywhere close to sounding in tune, and the occasional bleating and barking from the Animals made it sound even stranger, but the words were the same across the circle.

"There's only us; there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road; no other way. No day but today."

161491a9-1dd4-49cb-9d2d-8c1fdae19041

1.03.01


	5. Chapter 5

5.

As the meeting went on, Nessarose kept looking over at one of the newcomers, the obviously Munchkin boy named Boq. She was rather surprised to see him here. She had heard plenty about Boq from Galinda, her sister's girlfriend. Boq had dated Galinda for a time, so it was no surprise she mentioned him from time to time, though Nessa was sure Elphaba didn't appreciate it. She was absolutely sure that this boy was the same Boq. After all, according to Galinda, he never went anywhere without his camera.

Nessa had laughed inwardly at the way he had bumbled into the meeting. The moment he had started talking, she knew he didn't have AIDS, but had come for some other reason instead. Maybe that was why Paul had suggested that Boq sit next to _her_, rather than in one of the other empty chairs.

She was glad to see the constant look of amazement Boq wore throughout the meeting. She remembered feeling that way her first time. Nessa had to admit, the feeling of pure amazement wore off, but the other good feelings never did. Still, it was always wonderful to see someone so affected by the group and their conversation.

As the meeting came to a close, Nessarose almost felt guilty for tapping on Boq's shoulder, as though she were waking him from a very pleasant dream. "So, what did you think?" she asked. "Did you get any good footage for that documentary of yours?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, I think so," said Boq. "Are all meetings like that?"

Nessa nodded. "All of the ones I've been to, anyway."

"Hey, Boq!"

Nessa and Boq both turned. It was the other newcomer – Nessa thought his name might have been Crope – who had spoken. "You coming?" he asked.

"Just go to the lot," said Boq. "I'll meet up with you later."

"Okay, honey," said Tibbett, who had come dressed in her usual drag attire. Nessa knew Tibbett from other meetings and concluded that it had been Tibbett who had brought Crope and Boq with her tonight.

Then, something Boq had said suddenly sparked her interest. "The lot?" she asked Boq.

"Yeah," said Boq. "A friend of mine is performing tonight at a lot on Avenue A. That's where I'm going after this."

"Funny," said Nessarose. "I'm going to the same place." Of course, she wasn't surprised that Boq was going. But he didn't seem to know who she was, and some mischievous part of her liked playing with him.

"Really?" Boq asked, obviously surprised.

"Yeah," said Nessa. "Hey, would you mind going with me? I can get there myself, of course, but I wouldn't mind some company."

"Uh, sure," said Boq. "That'd be great."

"Alright," said Nessa. "So how about we get a move on?"

"Right away," said Boq, camera in hand. He stepped behind her chair and began to push. They left the room and were soon out on the sidewalk in the cold night air.

Nessa pulled her coat tighter around her, trying to keep out the cold. "This is nice," she mused. "I would have had to wheel myself to the lot if you hadn't come along, Boq."

"It's nothing," said Boq. "But how did you get to the meeting in the first place? No offense, but you don't look like you live around here."

"I don't," said Nessa. She folded her hands and placed them neatly on her lap, then smiled mischievously. "Galinda brought me tonight."

As expected, Boq froze, and her chair stopped moving forward. "Galinda?" Boq choked out. "Galinda Arduenna? You know her?"

Nessa turned her head to look at him. "Yes," she said simply. "I live with Galinda. How else would I know about the protest tonight?"

Boq was so surprised he could barely speak. "But… I thought she lived with… I mean, I thought she was dating… Sweet Oz, Galinda… I mean, I know she cheats, but still, this is a bit fast for her…"

Nessa let him blubber on for a minute, then laughed. "Calm down, Boq," she said. "I'm not dating Galinda. How could I, when she's dating my sister?"

Boq's eyes widened even further, if that was possible. "Your sister? You mean… wait. _Elphaba_ is your _sister_?" Nessarose nodded. "But how? I mean, I guess I see the resemblance a little, but still… She's really your sister?"

"Not everyone in my family is green, if that's what you're referring to," said Nessa. "And yes, Elphaba is really my sister. At the very least, we shared a mother. And now we share an apartment, which Galinda moved into about a month ago."

Boq looked as though his head was about to explode. "This is too weird," he said. "So let me get this straight. Elphaba is your sister, and now she's dating my ex-girlfriend. The three of you all live together, and by some strange twist of fate, I've met both you _and_ Elphaba on the same evening. Is that right?"

Nessarose nodded. "That's right."

"I think I need to sit down," said Boq. He _did_ look overwhelmed, Nessa realized, so she didn't mind it at all when he stumbled to a nearby bench, even though she had to wheel herself over to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I think so?" Boq answered. "I'm just a little surprised, that's all."

"Yes, well, it _is_ a bit of an odd coincidence that we met," Nessa said.

"It's just been one of those evenings," said Boq. "I mean, first Elphaba, now you…" Suddenly, he froze again, and this time, Nessarose had no idea why. She had not said anything else to add to his confusion. Boq turned his head to look at her. He stared for a moment, then asked, "Your last name wouldn't happen to be Thropp, would it?"

_Oh yes, that,_ Nessa thought. There were good reasons she usually didn't mention her last name. _So, he finally connected all the dots, did he?_ "It is," she admitted.

"Oh, sweet Oz," said Boq, falling back against the bench. "You're the governor's daughter. Why didn't I see it before? Everyone knows the governor has one green girl, one girl in a wheelchair, and one…" He stopped, stayed that way for a moment, then looked over at Nessa. "You have another sister, don't you?"

Nessa nodded. "Her name is Shell. She lives in your building, actually. You might have met her before."

"Wait," said Boq. "You mean the same Shell that's friends with Galinda?"

"Yes, that's her."

Well," said Boq, "that solves the mystery of how Galinda met Elphaba." He looked rather glum at the idea of this. Then, all at once, he was laughing.

"What is it?" Nessa asked.

"It's just funny – Shell apparently came to our apartment while I was helping Elphaba with Galinda's equipment," said Boq. "She tried to get my roommate out of the apartment. Talk about your weird coincidences."

Nessa smiled. "Oh, that one wasn't a coincidence," she said. "Well, the timing of it might have been coincidental, but it was no accident. That is, it's more than mere coincidence that Shell picked today to visit your apartment for the first time."

Boq looked confused. "Care to explain?" he asked.

"Galinda told me that you had told her that Fiyero was probably not coming to the protest tonight," Nessa began to explain. "She wasn't very happy about it. She mentioned in passing that if anyone could get him out tonight, it would probably be Shell. Whether she meant for me to act on that or not, I don't know, but I called and left a message with Shell and asked her to pay a visit to Fiyero. Apparently, she got my message."

"So _you're_ responsible?"

"I guess I am."

"Well, thank you," said Boq. "If your sister can get Fiyero out tonight, it'll be a miracle."

Boq smiled at her, but the smile quickly faded. He leaned back against the bench, still obviously overwhelmed with the amount of information he had left to process.

"Are you alright?" Nessa asked.

"Yeah," said Boq. "Just a little overwhelmed."

Nessarose reached up and took one of Boq's hands in hers. He looked at her, clearly surprised by the gesture, but did not let go. Nessa noticed just then how very blue Boq's eyes were. He was really very handsome, she decided.

"Listen, Boq," she began. "My older sister may be dating your ex-girlfriend, and my little sister may be trying to help your friend, and my father may be the governor of Munchkinland, but none of that makes me who I am. My family, my heritage, even this chair I'm sitting in right now, it's all just a _part_ of who I am, and I'd really rather you not think of me just in terms of who I'm related to, where I come from, and what my body's incapable of doing. I'm just Nessarose – no more and no less."

Boq took a deep breath, then nodded. "Okay," he said. "Maybe we should just start over."

"Alright," said Nessa. "My name is Nessarose, and although I have a deep passion for art, especially drawing and painting, my favorite thing in the world is the wind. When it rushes through my hair, I can close my eyes and imagine myself running."

"And I'm Boq," he said. "I spend a lot of time taking care of my best friend, Fiyero, but what I really love to do is work with my camera. I make films – documentaries, to be exact. I have trouble sometimes in social situations – particularly around pretty girls – but I'm getting a little better each day… I think."

Nessa laughed. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Boq," she said.

"Likewise, Nessarose," he said. He shook the hand that still had hers safely wrapped within it. It was not a proper handshake, so it made her laugh, but it would do. "What I would like to know now is the reason why you go to those life support meetings," he said after a moment. "Since you don't have AIDS, I mean."

The question was not completely unexpected. She _had_ promised to explain later, after all. But now she was unsure as to whether she wanted to tell the story or not. She also suddenly felt awkward about continuing to hold onto Boq's hand, and wondered briefly whether she should let go. But when she tried to will herself to extract her hand from his, it was as though some force beyond her control was keeping her from moving of her own accord. So she left her hand there as she took a deep breath and began to tell the story.

"Shortly after I turned eighteen, Father sent Elphaba and I to Shiz," she began. "As long as I promised to study at least _some_ politics and history, Father said I could focus my studies in whatever other field I wanted. Elphaba was only there because Father wanted someone there to take care of me. Of course, Elphaba was always the scholar. She studied law, history, and life science. I fulfilled my required politics and history studies, but my true passion was art, so that was what I chose to study. I loved it, and since Father had no complaints, I was happy. After we left Shiz, Elphaba wanted to move to the Emerald City. The best opportunities for lawyers are here in the city. But more than that, Elphaba wanted to be somewhere where she could actively advocate and work for Animal rights. I wasn't keen to move back home right away, and I had always lived with Elphaba, so I decided to come along as well.

"Not long after we arrived, I found a job in a small art studio. It was there that I met Milla for the first time. She was my first friend here in the city. We did a lot of things together, much to Elphaba's relief – she was very busy and appreciating someone else looking out for me. Milla was one of the sweetest people I've ever met.

"One day, after we had been working together for several months, she didn't come in to work. I found her after I left work that afternoon, about a block away from the studio. Her face was red and blotchy, and almost as soon as I started talking to her, she was in tears again. She had just found out that her ex-boyfriend had unknowingly given her AIDS. Not long after that, Milla told me about a life support group she had heart about. But she was too frightened to go alone, so she asked me to go with her. I didn't know what else to say, so I agreed. We went the next night, and we loved it – both of us. At first, of course, I felt weird, being the only one in the group without AIDS. But it didn't matter to any of them. I was just coping with life the same as everyone else. So I kept coming back. I've gone every week since."

Nessa paused, suddenly aware that Boq was now gently squeezing her hand. It was a small comfort as she spoke of these old memories. She managed to smile at him, then sighed and looked away. "I've been in this chair all my life," she continued. "I was born this way, and I'll never be able to so much as stand up on my own. I know I'm likely to live longer than anyone in that room, but I'll always be in this chair, and I can't change that any more than they can change the fact that they have this disease." Nessa felt tears starting to well up in her eyes, but she forced herself to keep going. "I've outlived so many people who have sat in that circle," she said. "So many have come and gone… including the one that brought me in the first place." She suddenly had to choke back a sob, but the tears started falling anyway as she thought of Milla.

"I'm so sorry," Boq whispered.

"Don't be," Nessa said, trying her best to stop the crying. "She never wanted people to feel sorry because of her." Nessa almost laughed as she remembered the way Milla had hated people fussing over her. She was like Elphaba in that way, Nessa realized – too strong sometimes for her own good. "She never knew it, but by dragging me along to that meeting, she changed my life. Until I entered that room for the first time, I had never met anyone who saw me just as Nessarose and not as a cripple. Even my family has a tendency to fuss too much over that part of me. They mean well, of course, but always being the one who needs to be looked after doesn't do much for one's self confidence. Going to Life Support every week has given me back that confidence in myself. That's why I still go every week."

They were both silent for a moment. Nessa could barely believe she had just told a near-stranger all of that. She wasn't even sure she had ever told all that to Elphaba or Shell. But there was something about Boq that made her feel safe telling him her secrets. She had only meant to tell him about Milla and how this had started, but once she had gotten going, the rest had spilled out naturally. And to be completely honest, she didn't regret saying a word of it. _There's no time for regret anyway_, she remembered, thinking of the credo she repeated every week at the meetings. Somehow, she knew she could trust Boq, even though she had just met him.

She wasn't sure how long they sat there silently, hand in hand. She was brought back to consciousness as Boq reached his free hand over to gently wipe the tears from her face. "You know," he said, "I'd like it very much if I could have Nessarose as a friend." He smiled at her, and she knew immediately that he truly meant it. He was looking at her in a way that proved he saw her just as herself, not as the tragically beautiful girl in the chair that he needed to take pity on.

It was enough to make Nessa smile back at him. "I'd like that, too," she said, squeezing his hand lightly. Suddenly it no longer felt strange to be holding his hand. It just felt… _right_. She wasn't sure she ever wanted to let go.

* * *

For the most part, Elphaba's nausea had gone away. She was left with a slight headache and an overdose of frustration. The performance was quickly approaching, and although Boq had solved the equipment crisis, it still felt like there was far too much to be done.

At that moment, her cell phone rang. Surprised, she pulled it out and answered. "Hello?"

"Elphaba? It's Steeve. So glad I reached you. I called your apartment, but your girlfriend said you weren't there because you're stage managing or something."

_Of course_, Elphaba thought. _Even on my day off, they call me from work_. "Yes, Steeve, I'm here," she said. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the Murget case ended with a dismissal."

Elphaba smiled in spite of herself. That _was_ good news. "A dismissal? Good work, counselor."

"So we're all set on that, then?"

"Yes," she answered. "We're okay."

The payphone rang as Steeve began to talk again. "Great. So you're still planning on not coming in the day after tomorrow?"

"Steeve, hold on," said Elphaba, reaching for the payphone. What could Galinda possibly want now? "Honeybear, I'm on the other phone," she said into the payphone.

"I just wanted to tell you that I didn't have time to eat before getting Nessa to her meeting, but I got her dropped off and I'm just about to have dinner," said Galinda.

"That's wonderful, honey, but…"

"Did you get the sunglasses I asked for?" Galinda interrupted.

"Yes, I have the sunglasses," said Elphaba. "We're okay." Then she switched over to the cell phone. "Sorry, Steeve. No, I'm not coming in on the 26th – I'm taking a few days off."

"So what should I do about the Beckett case?"

"Tell them we'll sue, but a settlement will due."

Galinda's voice from the other phone echoed in her other ear. "So Nessa's going to meet us at the protest after her meeting. Is that okay?"

"On grounds of civil and Animal rights?" Steeve asked.

"Yes, Steeve, you're great," Elphaba said to her co-worker. Then she turned and added, into the payphone, "No, you're supposed to pick Nessa up after her meeting. And by the way, did you cheat on Boq a lot, would you say?"

Elphaba grimaced and pulled the phone away from her, immediately regretting voicing that last question. She hadn't meant to ask just now, and certainly not that bluntly. But it had slipped out unintentionally, and she couldn't take it back.

"What?" Galinda asked, understandably confused.

"Honeybear, hold on," said Elphaba. She went back to the cell phone. "Steeve, I ne -." She was cut off by the sound of the cell phone ringing again. "Hold on," she told Steeve, then hit a button that allowed her to answer another call. "Hello?"

"Elphaba, is that you?"

Elphaba grimaced again. "Hello, Father," she said. She couldn't imagine why in Oz he would be calling her. He was the last person she would have ever expected to call her. Even Boq – or the Wizard of Oz himself – was more likely to talk to her than her father.

"Your… _companion_, Miss Galinda, has just informed me that Nessarose is not coming home for Lurlinemas or for the New Year," said the voice of Frexspar Thropp. "She also said that Nessarose cannot be reached at the moment because of some… Life Support meeting, or something?"

Now it made sense to Elphaba. He was calling because he was worried his precious Nessarose wouldn't be home for the holidays. "No, Father, Nessa is _not_ coming home for Lurlinemas or for New Year's," she said, annoyed. She didn't bother to add that she and Shell were not returning to Munchkinland for the holidays either.

"Did you put her up to this? Or is this because you won't travel with her? You _know_ she can't travel alone."

"She's not coming, Father," Elphaba said firmly, eager to end the conversation. "Have a happy Lurlinemas." With that, she ended the call. She was done talking to him, and she knew he would be more than pleased not to have to talk to her any longer.

"Oh, Pookie, Jill has just arrived with dinner!" said Galinda's voice through the payphone.

"Oh, good, Jill is there," said Elphaba, not really paying attention. She turned her attention back to the cell phone. "Steeve, I'm back." But she didn't hear any of what Steeve was saying, because it suddenly dawned on her what Galinda had said. _Jill?_ "Jill, with the short black hair?" she asked Galinda. "The Ozma's Secret model?" Panicking, she said into the cell phone, "Steeve, gotta go." She switched off the cell phone and went back to Galinda. "The model who lives in Penthouse A?"

"That's the one," said Galinda. "She brought…"

Elphaba didn't hear the end of Galinda's sentence. She was too busy pulling the phone away from her as all her jealousy, anger, and frustration threatened to explode. Shaking the phone, she tried to force herself to calm down. "We're okay," she told herself. "We… are… okay." Then she made up her mind, told Galinda, "I'm on my way," and slammed the phone back in place. She was too angry to move right away, but there was no way Galinda was going to be eating alone with some lingerie model – not as long as Elphaba had anything to say about it.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, especially RealityInMyDreams, who has reviewed every chapter thus far. Thank you so much!**

**This is another short chapter. Most of the beginning ones are short like this. But trust me, we're coming to a few really long ones (i.e., the 'La Vie Boheme' sequence). Please leave reviews, if you please. Thank you! Enjoy!

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Shell wasn't surprised when Fiyero didn't leave with his friends to go… wherever they were going. It was too early to go to the protest yet, so she imagined they were headed somewhere else first. It didn't really matter to her where they were going, anyway. All that mattered to her was having another chance to see Fiyero. She just had to wait a little while longer.

Fiyero was one of the most beautiful people Shell had ever seen, and she had seen her fair share of people. She was not afraid to admit that she thought he was gorgeous, and that she was very attracted to him. Shell had realized long before this that she was the only one of Melena Thropp's daughters to have inherited Melena's weakness for good-looking men. Fortunately, she seemed to possess significantly more self-control than her mother ever had. And besides, most of the men she came into contact with while she worked were really not that attractive. Generally, the men who came to nightclubs like the Cat Scratch Club were older and hardly appealing to someone like Shell. The younger and more attractive men tended to spend more of their time in bars and places where they could actually _meet_ women, rather than just watch them.

Still, there was something special about Fiyero that Shell found most alluring. She had not seen him in the daylight, but there was something especially beautiful about the way he looked in the moonlight. To Shell, he was like the night sky – a dark canvas dotted with twinkling, beautiful stars. She had always loved the night and the way the stars glittered in the sky after the sun had gone, and to her eyes, Fiyero was nothing short of the night sky embodied in human form. It wasn't hard for her to understand now why her mother had been so drawn in by the Winkie man who'd fathered her. If her father had looked anything like Fiyero, she imagined her mother hadn't been able to resist him. It had to do with those blue diamonds, she decided. Shell had several of the diamond tattoos of her own, but when she had seen Fiyero's blue diamonds shining in the moonlight, they had all but commanded her to reach out and touch them.

Of course, Shell was fully aware that there was more to the man than his appearance. It was impossible to grow up with one green-skinned sister and one crippled sister and not realize that looks aren't everything. She hadn't seen much of Fiyero, but he had seemed like a sweet guy who'd suffered more than he deserved. The fact that he was musically inclined didn't hurt, either. Shell couldn't say she knew anything else about him, but that was what spending more time together was for. If she could just get him out of the apartment, she would have her chance to get to know him better.

Besides, Shell had a craving to go out tonight. It was another characteristic she'd inherited from her mother, or so she assumed. She loved action and a good time, wherever it could be had. Normally, she'd be at the club right now, dancing, having fun, and earning money. But she'd gotten out early today, and now she was itching for some fun. She wanted to meet Fiyero's friends and hang out at the Life Café. She wanted to be anywhere but here, quite frankly, and she wanted Fiyero to be with her.

So, after waiting a few minutes after his friends had gone, Shell made her way up to the topmost apartment and knocked on the door. She didn't have to wait long before the door slid open and Fiyero appeared.

"Oh. Hi," he said. He didn't seem very happy to see her, but the tone of his voice sounded more indifferent than disappointed. There was hope, Shell decided.

"I heard your friends leave a few minutes ago," Shell said. "I was just wondering whether you've considered my offer."

"What offer?"

Shell smiled. "I'm going to that protest tonight, and I would love it if you went with me."

Fiyero turned away for a moment. Shell took the opportunity to step inside the apartment. "Well?" she asked when he didn't respond. "What do you think? Will you take me out tonight?"

"Why didn't you mention you were friends with Galinda?" Fiyero asked abruptly.

This out-of-the-blue question surprised Shell for a moment, but she quickly recovered from it. She supposed he had told his friends about her visit, and one of them must have remembered Galinda talking about her. "It wasn't relevant to our conversation," she said. "I didn't see the need to list off the names of all my friends and relations to you."

"Sorry," said Fiyero. "Stupid question."

Shell looked at Fiyero curiously. "Does it _matter _that I'm friends with Galinda?"

"Not really," said Fiyero.

"Good," said Shell. "Because as much as I like Galinda, I don't want my friendship with her interfering with my ability to make new friends."

"I think you're alright on that count," said Fiyero.

This made Shell smile again. Fiyero was coming along nicely. He was already much friendlier and much less nervous than he had been during her first visit. If this pace kept up, she would have him out of the apartment and having fun by the time the protest started. Just a little bit more subtle (and not-so-subtle) encouragement, and he would be all hers.

* * *

Fiyero tried his best not to show how Shell's presence unnerved him. It wasn't that he didn't like her; in fact, it was quite the opposite. She was beautiful and funny and bold, and he liked her very much already. That was enough to frighten him. He wasn't ready to deal with romance and love again. It had all but broken him the last time, and he just couldn't let himself be broken again.

But even though his head knew that, the rest of him seemed to have other plans. He seemed to be regaining some of his old charisma, and while that wasn't necessarily a bad thing – it would be nice not to constantly make a fool out of himself – it seemed to be encouraging Shell into believing he might have an interest in her. He _did_ have an interest in her, of course, but he couldn't let her know that. "Look," he said, "you seem nice and all, but I'm not interested in getting involved with anyone right now."

"Who said anything about getting involved?" Shell asked. "I came to see if you wanted to go out _tonight_. I never talked about anything past that."

"I'm still not interested," said Fiyero. "I know what'll happen if I take you out tonight. We'd come back, our temperatures would climb, there'd be a long embrace…" _You would be too difficult for me to resist_, he added mentally. _With that hair, those eyes, those diamonds sparkling in the moonlight…_

"So what?" Shell asked. "Is that really so terrible?" She stepped toward him and lifted a hand to touch the diamond tattoos on his chest. Her touch nearly made him shiver again. "Why worry about the past, or about the future? The way I see it, there's only now, and there's only here. If you don't give in to love, you'll always live in fear."

Love? The word echoed in Fiyero's mind. He nearly gave in, just then, with her words filling his thoughts and the touch of her fingers threatening to make him forget everything else. But he caught himself, and with a jerk, he pulled away from her and took several steps backward.

"I'm not looking for romance," he told her. "Long ago, you might have lit up my heart, but the fire's dead now." It had died with the baby, and with Sarima, and with the music. "If you want romance, come back another day." He turned away and went to sit on the couch, resting his head in his hands.

Shell followed him over. "The heart can freeze, or it can burn," she said quietly. "But the pain _will_ ease." She sat down beside him, placed one hand on his cheek, and stroked it in an attempt to comfort him. It worked a little, if only because her touch was so addicting. "Right now, though, there's only us, Fiyero." She gripped one of his hands and brought it to her own cheek. "There's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss." He looked over at her and was drawn in by her smile. "There's no day but today."

They sat like that for a moment, her hand holding his to her cheek. Their eyes met, and Fiyero felt a strange combination of vulnerability and safety as he looked into her eyes. Then, slowly, Shell leaned in close to him and pressed her lips to his. His eyes shut of their own accord as he tasted Shell. Her hands began to wrap around him, about to pull him closer.

That was when Fiyero realized what was happening. He pulled away, disentangling himself from her embrace, and hurriedly stood up off the couch. "Who do you think you are?" he demanded, suddenly angry. "First you barge in here on me and my guitar, and now you won't listen when I say I can't handle romance right now! Look, the door is that way!" He gestured wildly to the door. "Take your candle and your brown eyes and your diamond tattoos and your hair in the moonlight and get out! Goodbye, goodnight!"

Shell looked genuinely surprised and hurt. It made Fiyero's insides hurt to see her like that, which only proved, in his mind, that he was doing the right thing. He couldn't handle more heartache right now. He watched her stand up slowly, reluctantly, and he continued to watch her as she walked toward the door. She turned back at the last moment, and he expected her to say something, but she didn't. Instead, she just looked at him, her beautiful brown eyes threatening to well up with tears. Then she tore her gaze from him and disappeared through the door.

Fiyero stood watching the door for a minute after she had gone. Then he collapsed onto the couch. A part of him was relieved that it was over. But it was only a very small part. The rest of him ached, and no matter what he said to himself, he couldn't stop the aching.

* * *

Boq was adorable, Tibbett decided as she watched him during the life support meeting. He wasn't Tibbett's type, of course, but he was still adorable. Perhaps that was a part of the Munchkin genes. Boq was particularly adorable when interacting with Nessarose, Tibbett noticed. It made Tibbett feel rather giddy to watch the two of them talking. She liked to play the part of matchmaker when it was necessary, but it seemed Paul had done that for her tonight. They were sweet together, Boq and Nessa. Tibbett had always liked Nessarose, who seemed to understand the ideas taught in these meetings better than anyone. And though she had only known Boq a short time, he seemed like the sort that knew how to love and care for people. He would make a perfect match for Nessarose, and from what Tibbett could see, they were already on the way there.

So she was not bothered at all when Boq sounded eager to stay behind to talk with Nessa instead of joining them right away. Besides, it gave Tibbett some more time alone with Crope. Eagerly, she led Crope out of the community center and out onto the street. It was not a very long walk to the lot on Avenue A where the protest would be held, but any walk was better than none, especially when the company was as fine as Crope.

Tibbett couldn't believe how lucky she was to have found Crope tonight. Even though she had only known him for a few hours, she could already sense how perfectly they fit together. Crope was smarter than most people she knew, yet he was always ready to have a good time. On the outside, he was tough, manly, and unafraid to take risks, but he was also a big softie on the inside. And all that aside, he was absolutely gorgeous. Tibbett knew, somehow, that she would not find a better man for her in all of Oz.

She looked over at him as they walked. "Alone at last," she said.

"Boq will be along in a minute," said Crope. He almost sounded nervous. It was quite cute.

Tibbett smiled. "I don't know," she said. "He seemed very fond of Nessarose. We may not see much of him tonight."

"I'm not sure about that," said Crope. "Poor kid's not over Galinda yet, I don't think. Besides, it took him almost a year of living with her before he finally found the guts to ask her out."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," said Crope. "Not sure why she ever agreed to it in the first place, though. They never really worked well together – as a couple, that is. I'm not surprised she found somebody else."

"Hmmm," said Tibbett. She didn't know Galinda, so she was in no place to judge whether she was right in leaving Boq or not. Crope was very fond of Galinda – they were very close friends – but that was all Tibbett knew about her. Besides, she had more important things on her mind. "So… do you think _we_ would work well together?"

Crope looked over at her, seeming almost taken aback by the question. "You mean, as a couple? Why, are we a thing now?"

Tibbett smiled brightly. Crope really _was_ too cute sometimes. "Darling, we're everything," she said, taking his hand in hers. "Come live in my house. I'll be your shelter if you'll be my lover. You can pay me back with one thousand kisses."

To her delight, Crope smiled back. "Just open your door and I'll gladly be your tenant. I don't have much baggage to lay at your feet, but sweet kisses I've got to spare."

He pulled her close to him and kissed her, and she forgot everything that she was about to say. "Nine hundred ninety-nine," Crope whispered as they parted.

"What?"

"That was my down payment," Crope said. "I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love, but I know now that you can rent it. Your love is my new lease on life, and that kiss was my down payment. Now I've only got nine hundred ninety-nine left to pay off my debt."

Tibbett grinned. "Who's counting?" she asked, astounded once again by her new lover. She pulled him in for another kiss.

"Nine hundred ninety-eight," said Crope as they parted again, and Tibbett playfully slapped him on the head. Crope only laughed.

"Come on," said Tibbett, taking Crope by the hand. "Why don't we buy you a new coat while we're waiting for Boq? I'm sure someone around here is selling them."

"It _is_ rather cold out here tonight," said Crope, shivering. "But you don't need to get me anything."

"Oh, hush your mouth," said Tibbett, pulling him along as she began to walk down the street again. "It's Lurlinemas, and you're my boyfriend. Why shouldn't I get you something?"

Crope shook his head in amazement. "I don't deserve you, angel," said Crope. "All you do is give."

"I'm just happy to have someone to give to," said Tibbett. "I've been longing for something as true as this is."

They walked happily hand-in-hand down the street. As they got closer to the lot, they reached a sort of make-shift open market where sellers of all sorts were trying to sell their stock to anyone who passed by. Tibbett spotted a woman selling coats and pulled Crope over.

"Evening, folks," the lady said. "What can I do for you today?"

"We're looking for a coat for Crope here," said Tibbett, tapping Crope lightly on the chest.

"How about a fur?" the woman asked, holding up a coat. "It's in perfect shape – owned by an MBA from uptown. Or, perhaps, a tweed," she suggested, holding up a different coat. "It was broken in by a broker who went broke, then broke down."

Why don't I just take a look at what you've got," said Tibbett, begin to shuffle through the pile, looking for something that Crope would like to wear. "Ooh, look at this one sweetie," she said, pulling out a large, long leather coat. "Try it on!"

Crope shrugged the coat on. Tibbett was pleased to see that it fit perfectly. In fact, he looked perfectly handsome – and quite sexy too – in this leather coat. "We'll take it," Tibbett told the coat seller. She haggled for a minute or two to bring down the price, but in all honesty, the price didn't matter to her. She had plenty of money left over from her job earlier that day, and besides, this was a Lurlinemas present for her new boyfriend. No price was too high for her sweetheart.

Once that was done, she took Crope by the hand again and they moved off down the street. Before long, they had reached the lot. It was mostly filled with tents that provided make-shift homes for the homeless, but a stage was barely visible on the far end, where the performance would soon take place.

"Let's wait for Boq here," said Tibbett, stopping just short of the tent city.

"Alright," said Crope. He took Tibbett's other hand in his and happily swung both hands back and forth as he stared into her eyes. "Whatever did I do to deserve you, my angel?" he asked. "How can I show you how you've touched me so?"

Tibbett smiled. She looked up at the sky for a moment and noticed that little white flakes were now falling from the sky. "Kiss me," she said, looking back at her love. "It's beginning to snow."

Crope pulled her toward him and pressed his lips to hers for an indeterminate time of blissful oblivion. Tibbett smiled brightly at Crope as they separated, and he smiled back.

"Nine hundred ninety-seven."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is the last of the short chapters. They get longer from here on in. I would like to thank you for your patience in waiting for updates. I should tell you that this story is all being handwritten first, then typed. The first ten chapters - the ones that covers Act 1 of RENT and the Happy New Year scene - were written back in July. The rest of the chapters are coming along more slowly, partly because of real life, and partly because I don't have as much of a script in Act 2. I am consistently working on those chapters, so bear with me. I _will_ finish this story, I promise.**

**Galinda's protest happens in this chapter. It was a bit tricky to write. It was vaguely inspired by the movie version of "Over the Moon." Mostly, however, the protest is based off of Eden Espinosa's performance of "Over the Moon" during the final Broadway performance of RENT, which you can watch on YouTube.**

**Also, please remember that it is tricky to incorporate modern NY culture into the world of Oz, so some references made in RENT songs don't quite apply (i.e., Mickey Mouse is not Ozian). This will be more important in the next chapter, so keep it in mind.  
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"Smile, Boq!"

"Nessa, what - ? Turn that off! I gave you that to hold, not to use!"

"Oh, come on, Boq! Someone's got to capture you on film too!"

"My documentary isn't about me! Now turn it off or I'll take it away!"

"Fine," Nessa finally agreed. Boq watched to make certain she actually turned the camera off, then went back to his place behind her chair. It was easier to push her when his camera wasn't in his hands, but obviously, giving it to Nessa had proven to be too much of a temptation.

"Wow, this place is busy," Nessa said, and as Boq looked around, he had to agree with her. There were people everywhere, and not just because of the upcoming protest. It was a market, of sorts, but not one that people with money – like Nessa – would usually visit.

"It sure is," said Boq.

"Hey look, there's Tibbett!" Nessa called out, pointing in the direction of the lot, where they were headed. "And your other friend – Crope, right?"

"Yeah, Crope," said Boq, catching sight of the pair of them. "Looks like Crope got a new coat," he added, noticing the new leather jacket Crope was wearing.

"Well, come on, let's go meet them," said Nessa. She grabbed the wheels of her chair and began to move in that direction. Taking the hint, Boq hurried up behind her and began pushing once again.

They were nearly to the spot where Tibbett and Crope were waiting when Boq spotted a pair of Gale Force officers talking to a homeless woman lying on someone's car. "Time to get up, lady," one of the men said.

Boq couldn't resist. This was the sort of footage he needed for his documentary. "Hand me my camera," he told Nessa. She passed him the camera as he walked by her, intent on capturing this moment on film. He turned on the camera and approached the scene, while Nessa wheeled herself along behind him. As he approached, the officers stared at him, but surprisingly, they didn't say anything. They looked at the camera for a moment, then left. Their work was done and they probably didn't feel the need to bother with this pathetic camera man. Boq didn't mind; he wasn't in the mood to get in trouble. He just wanted some footage.

But to his surprise, the homeless woman didn't seem to appreciate Boq's appearance at all. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" she demanded angrily as she stood up off the car. "I don't need help from some bleeding-heart camera man! My life's not for you to make a name for yourself on!"

"Easy, sugar," said Tibbett. She and Crope had appeared. _They must have seen what happened_, Boq realized. "He was just trying to…"

"Just trying to use me to kill his guilt!" said the woman. "It's not that kind of movie, honey." She grabbed her things off the ground and looked around at them. "This lot is full of motherfucking artists," she muttered. "Hey artist, you got an Oz-dollar?" she asked, holding her hand out toward Boq. But he had nothing to give. "That's what I thought," she said. Then she moved off down the street, muttering about artists as she went.

"Ah, the Emerald City," said Tibbett. "Center of the universe."

"Right," said Boq, turning off his camera. That hadn't been as good a shot as he'd hoped. "Some center. Which part do they mean? The fake lights of uptown or the faded lights of the rest of town?"

"Well, it's a comfort to know that anywhere else you could possibly go after the Emerald City would be a pleasure trip," said Tibbett.

Boq exchanged glances with Nessa. They'd both grown up outside the Emerald City, in Munchkinland, and though he couldn't imagine choosing to go back there, he had to admit, it was certainly an easier life than the one they had here.

"Hey, Boq, you wanna introduce me to your friend?" Crope asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure," said Boq. "Crope, this is Nessarose. Nessa, this is my good friend, Crope."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Nessarose," said Crope.

"The same to you, Master Crope," she replied.

"So get this," Boq said after the two had shaken hands. "Nessa's older sister is Elphaba, the girl who's dating Galinda."

"Really?" said Tibbett. "What a small world!"

"Too small," said Crope. "Small enough that you can't go anywhere without being sucked back to the Emerald City."

"It _is_ the only major city in Oz," said Boq.

"Major cities are overrated," said Nessa. "I only came here because Elphaba felt she had work to do here, and because I didn't want to stay at home. I would just love to live out in the countryside, away from all the worry and trouble of the city."

"That sounds nice," said Crope, suddenly looking thoughtful. A grin slowly crept onto his face. "I say we head down to Ovvels," he said. "It's the only big town in Quadling country. We could open up a restaurant there, or something."

"Do they even _have_ restaurants in Quadling country?" asked Boq. Rush Margins was rather far south in Munchkinland, and from what he knew of the Quadlings, they weren't the type of people who enjoyed things like restaurants.

"Well, we could have the first," said Crope. "But even if it doesn't work out, we won't be any worse off than we are here! Plus, we'd be living in a warm, sunny place far away from parents or muggings or eviction notices."

"That sounds nice," said Tibbett, leaning in to hug Crope. "I like the way you think, sweetie."

"Nessa?"

Boq spun around at the sound of Nessa's name. Beside him, Nessa did the same, spinning her chair around to look behind them. Coming toward them was a young woman who, to Boq's eyes, looked like a strange combination of Nessa and Fiyero. That is, she looked a great deal like Nessa, especially her eyes, but he had only ever seen blue diamonds tattooed on one other person: Fiyero. He wasn't absolutely sure, but if he had to guess, he would say that this was probably Nessa's other sister.

"Shell? What are you doing here?" Nessa asked, confirming Boq's suspicion. The young woman, Shell, knelt down to give her older sister a hug before standing again.

"I'm here for the protest," Shell said. "I owe you a thank you, by the way – I would have forgotten all about it if you hadn't called. Galinda would have killed me if I wasn't there tonight."

"Um, sorry to cut in, but would someone mind explaining to us what's going on?" asked Crope. He and Tibbett looked equally and understandably confused.

"Sorry," said Nessarose. "This is Shell, my little sister," she said. "Shell, this is Boq, Crope, and Tibbett. Tibbett goes to the Life Support meetings every week, and she brought Crope and Boq tonight."

"Wait, Crope and Boq?" Shell repeated. "As in Galinda's best friend and ex-boyfriend?"

Nessa nodded. "The very same."

"Wow," said Shell. "What a night of weird connections."

"Tell me about it," said Crope.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, honey," said Tibbett.

"Thanks," said Shell. "It's nice meeting all of you, too."

"So Shell, did you convince Fiyero to come out tonight?" asked Boq, only now remembering that particular connection.

Shell looked suddenly uncomfortable, and possibly sad as well, though Boq couldn't tell for sure. "No," she said, shaking her head. "I tried, but he kicked me out."

"Oh, sweetie," said Tibbett. She moved over to Shell and wrapped the girl in her arms. Shell looked a little surprised at first, but soon gave in and let Tibbett hold her. "I'm so sorry. I'm sure you tried your best." She kept holding Shell, whose eyes were now filled with tears.

"That boy should know better than to go around making women cry," said Crope. "I don't care if he's been depressed this year – I'm still going to pound him for this."

"I wish you wouldn't," said a voice. Shell's head came up off Tibbett's shoulder, but she didn't disentangle herself from the hug. The others all turned to see Fiyero coming toward them. Boq was shocked; it was so strange to see his roommate outside the loft.

Once the shock wore off, Crope stepped forward. "Why shouldn't I?" he asked.

"Because I came," said Fiyero.

Crope stepped even closer to Fiyero. He looked as though he still wanted to punch him. But as he reached Fiyero, he grinned and threw his arms around his friend instead. "Good to see you out here, kid," he said.

"Thanks," said Fiyero, who had clearly not been expecting the hug. Crope pulled away and stepped back. Everyone else was silent. Boq looked to Shell, who slowly moved away from Tibbett and took a hesitant step or two toward Fiyero. She and Fiyero stared at each other for a minute, and Boq somehow felt guilty for watching, as though he were interrupting a very private, intimate moment.

"Would you excuse us for a minute?" Fiyero asked. "I'd like to talk to Shell alone, if she'll let me."

"Alright," said Shell. Boq watched as the two of them stepped far enough away that no one else in the group could hear what they said.

"Twenty Oz-dollars says they're together by the end of the night," said Crope.

No one took his bet.

* * *

Once they had stopped, Shell simply stared at Fiyero. Her eyes were still red and damp, but she did nothing about it. She wasn't sure she was ready to cry in front of him, but he deserved to see the leftover tears he had inflicted on her. It wasn't as though she had done anything wrong. She was genuinely attracted to him, and she could tell he liked her, too. All she had done was attempt to initiate something, and he had rejected her. Now it was time to see if he could make it up to her – or if he was even willing to try.

"I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier," Fiyero said. "I shouldn't have blown up at you like that – you did nothing to deserve it."

"You're right – I didn't," she agreed.

"It's just that… I should tell you that my last girlfriend… she killed herself," Fiyero said. "About a year ago. That's why I haven't been out much lately."

"And why you're afraid of romance," Shell finished for him. "You're afraid to losing someone else, so you don't want me around for you to get attached to. Is that it?"

"No," Fiyero said quickly. She looked at him, not convinced. "I mean, yes, I'm scared, but I… I _do_ want you around. I really do. A lot."

_That's better_, Shell thought. "So what now?" she asked.

"Well, I'd like to make up for what I did, if I can," said Fiyero.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Shell asked, interested to see what he came up with.

"A bunch of us are getting together at the Life Café after Galinda's show," he said. "I suppose you're already invited, but I'd really like it if you came with me."

Shell already knew her answer, but she pretended to consider for a moment. When he began looking rather desperate, she nodded. "That'll do," she said. It was a small step, but Shell knew now that it would take small steps to get through to this boy. "Now, come on," she said. "I'd like to introduce you to one of my older sisters."

* * *

After finishing introductions, the group moved further onto the lot, closer to the stage. As the time for the protest drew nearer, the lot began filling up with people. Nessa quickly realized that it was going to be very difficult to see the performance. Certainly not for the first time, Nessa cursed the Unnamed God for putting her in this chair. Normally, she tried her best not to think of the chair as a cage or as a disease, but tonight, all she saw was that the chair was a nuisance that she wished she could be rid of.

"How you doing down there?" said Crope, who was standing beside her.

"I've been better," she told him. "I can't exactly see the stage from here."

"No, I bet you can't," said Crope.

"I'll get the whole thing on film," Boq said, but Nessa could tell he knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"I've got a better idea," said Crope. "You don't look very heavy," he said to her. "I bet I could pick you up and hold you so you could see the whole show from a little higher up."

Nessa thought about it for a moment. She wasn't a fan of being picked up and carried like a small child, but she _did_ want to actually see the show, and this sounded like her best option. "Okay," she said to Crope. "If you're sure you can hold me steady through the whole performance."

Crope smiled. "If I know Galinda, it won't be that long. I think I can manage."

"Thank you," said Nessa. "I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem," said Crope. "Always happy to help."

Nessa turned around to face Boq. "And I expect to see that video too, sir," she said with a smirk. "Or else I might just have to film you again."

"Ooh, that _is_ a threat," Boq said, pretending to sound intimidated. "I guess I'll have to show it to you, then." He smiled at her, and Nessa smiled back. He was a rather adorable boy, she decided.

At that moment, the sound of an approaching motorcycle filled the lot, followed quickly by cheers from everywhere. Crope knelt down and scooped Nessa into his arms before standing back up again. After some adjustment, they found a comfortable position. Then, Nessa could see the motorcycle and its rider as well as hear them. Even if she hadn't known about the borrowed motorcycle plan, the white coat, the pink shirt, and the pair of jeans with hearts cut into them would have given the rider away. The motorcycle stopped just short of the stage, and off jumped its rider. She bounded up the stairs to the stage, turned to face the audience, and dramatically pulled the helmet off her head. People everywhere cheered as Galinda shrugged off her coat. Then there was silence as they waited for the performance to begin.

* * *

_Enter Galinda Arduenna, my ex-girlfriend. She lived with us for ten and a half months before I found the courage to ask her out – a fact that Fiyero and Crope never let me live down, even if they get the exact amount of time wrong. She hails originally from Upper Uplands in Gillikin country, but came to the Emerald City, like us, to do what she loves to do without being bothered or hassled by her family. She is a performance artist, though not necessarily a very good one. _

_We first met shortly after I moved to the Emerald City. I was exploring and filming whatever I could find, and I happened across her putting on a show that almost no one was watching. She was thrilled when I asked if I could film her – in fact, she repeated the entire show over again just so I could get the whole thing on camera. Afterward, we got to talking, and she asked me to be her production manager. The moving in and dating all happened later. Of course, now all we are is friends, like we were when we first met. But I'm still filming her shows. What can I say? It's an old habit._

_

* * *

_

Galinda liked big crowds. Of course, she was always ready to put on a performance, even if only one person was watching. But she preferred big crowds. She liked being popular, and when lots of people were around to watch her perform, she felt very popular. Many of her closest friends didn't understand how she could thrive in crowds, but they had all gotten past the point where they needed people's approval. Galinda wasn't afraid of disapproval so much anymore (though it was still a weakness of hers at times), but she still had a craving for people to like her.

Tonight was not just about being popular, though. Galinda had to keep that in mind. This was a protest, not just a performance. It was about making changes – the kind of thing she and Crope and Elphaba believed in. That was probably the only reason Elphaba had agreed to help her with it. Elphie was wonderful, but she was not and would never be a theater person. She did support the cause, however, and that was enough for Galinda. She really did love her girlfriend, and she would have to thank her for all this trouble with some really good sex tonight.

As she looked into the crowd, it was not hard to spot Elphaba. She was the only green one in the place, after all. Elphaba was standing off to one side, watching Galinda intently. Galinda could not see her face very well because of the spotlight, but hoped she was not as upset as she had been when she had come home for dinner earlier.

But there was no time to dwell on that. Elphie had worked hard all day for a reason, and it was time for Galinda to show her the fruits of her labor. She picked up the cowbell and a drumstick in her hands, took a deep breath, and with a clang of the cowbell, she began.

"Last night, I had a dream. I found myself in a desert called.. _Cyberland_. It was hot; my canteen had sprung a leak, and I was… _thirsty_. Out of the abyss walked a Cow, Elsie. I asked if she had anything to drink. She said… 'I'm forbidden to produce… milk. In Cyberland, we only drink… _diet coke_.'" Galinda spoke the last words into the microphone and heard them echo several times, then die away.

"She said… 'Only thing to do is jump over the moon! They've closed everything real down, like barns and troughs and… _performance spaces!_ And replaced it all with lies and rules and… virtual _life_. But there is a way out!'" Galinda pressed a button on the machine next to her and was relieved to hear the music coming out of it. "'Only thing to do is jump over the moon!'"

She put her hands, along with the drumstick and cowbell, to her throat. "'I've gotta get out of here! It's like I'm being tied to the hood of a yellow rental truck, packed in with fertilizer and fuel oil, pushed over a cliff by a suicidal Cat and Mouse!'" Her eyes went wide and as she sang the next part, she bobbed rapidly up and down. "'I've… got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to, got to…'" Her head felt dizzy after all that bobbing and she had to stop for a moment. She coughed and stumbled back a step, but then continued bobbing until she finished. "'…got to, got to find a way! To jump over to the moon! Only thing to do is jump over the moon!'"

She set down the cowbell and stick on a nearby stand. "Then, a little Bulldog entered. His name, we have learned, was Avaric!" She pointed into the crowd in Avaric's direction. She had seen him enter earlier with his precious father-in-law. "And although he once had principles, he abandoned them to live as a lapdog to a wealthy daughter of high society." She pulled out the sunglasses, which were identical to the ones that Avaric often wore. "A one, two, three, 'That's bull!' Avaric said." She slipped on the sunglasses and pretended to talk on a cell phone, the way Avaric did. "'Ever since the Cat took up the fiddle, that Cow's been, ooh, jumpy. The dish and the spoon were evicted from the table and eloped. She's had trouble with her milk and the moon ever since. Maybe it's a female thing.'" Galinda clutched her breasts for a moment, instantly drawing a laugh out of the audience. "'Cause who'd want to leave Cyberland anyway? Walls ain't so bad. The dish and the spoon, for instance – they were down on their luck, they come knocking on my doghouse door, and I said, Not in my backyard, utensils! Go back to the cupboard!'" Then she took the sunglasses off and put them aside.

"'The only way out is up!' Elsie whispered to me. 'A leap of faith!'" People cheered as she held out the high notes, and Galinda smiled. "'Still thirsty?'" She leaned toward the microphone. "'Parched!'" The words echoed. "'Have some milk.' And I lowered myself beneath her swollen udder and sucked the sweetest milk I have ever tasted." Galinda made a loud slurping noise, as though she were actually sucking milk from a Cow.

"'Climb on board!' she said, and as a harvest moon rose over Cyberland, we reared back, we sprang into a gallop… leaping out of orbit I awoke singing!" The music was supposed to start here, but to Galinda's disappointment, nothing happened. "Singing!" she repeated in a whisper. "Shit," she muttered, kicking the machine. Fortunately, this made the machine spring to life. "Ooh!" she sang. "Only thing to do… only thing to do is jump! Only thing to do is jump over the moon! Only thing to do is jump over the moon! Over the moon! Over the…"

She put her fingers on her nose and pressed inward, then let out a strange noise that was intended to resemble a Cow's moo. "Moo!" she shouted. "Moo!" Then, Galinda lowered her voice and spoke to the audience. "Moo with me," she said. She mooed again, and someone out in the audience mooed with her. "Who was that?" she called out. "Come on, don't be shy! Moo with me! Let me hear you! Moo!" Slowly, the crowd picked up on it and Galinda heard the sweet sound of people mooing in protest with her. "Thank you!" she shouted above the noise, while the mooing continued to echo throughout the lot.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Welcome back. Thanks for your patience. This is the chapter of the story in which "La Vie Boheme" makes its appearance. This also happens to be the chapter that I dislike the most out of what I've written so far. La Vie Boheme is an amazing song; it sucks as an actual real-life conversation. Seriously. Most of the chapter, I'm afraid, does not sound at all realistic. It also doesn't help that a lot of the things and people referenced in the song only exist in our world, and not in Oz. I can't even use the phrase "la vie boheme" in the scene because French doesn't exist in Oz. So, basically, a lot of this is really awkward-sounding. Try to grin and bear it. Better chapters are coming. Just please don't leave me scathing reviews. I really don't care for this chapter much, but it was necessary. I hope you like it better than I do.**

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* * *

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8.**  
**

The Life Café was a small restaurant located on the other end of Avenue A, a few blocks from the lot. It was a classic meeting place where friends could hang out, eat, and talk. It was no surprise that it had been chosen as the location for a party following Galinda's protest.

But once they were inside, the waiter did not seem very happy at all to see them. "Oh no," he said. "No, please no. Not tonight. Please go. We can't have a scene tonight – there are important customers here."

"We have as much of a right to be here as anyone else," Crope protested.

"Not when you sit all night and never buy," said the waiter.

"That's a lie," said Boq. "I had a tea the other day."

The waiter frowned at him. "You couldn't pay."

"Oh yeah," said Boq, remembering how embarrassing that had been.

"Well tonight, we can," said Tibbett, holding up several Oz-dollar bills to show the waiter.

"Fine," the waiter said reluctantly. "Just don't make a scene tonight."

They ignored him. Instead, they went straight to the middle of the room, where several other friends of theirs were already seated. "Hey, let's push the tables together!" someone suggested, and within a minute, one long table sat where many little ones had been before. The waiter didn't seem thrilled about it, but he said nothing.

Boq wheeled Nessarose over to the table and moved a chair out of the way for her. Then he took a seat beside her. Once he had sat down, he noticed that Crope and Galinda were the only ones still standing. They were hovering near the end of the table. Then Boq saw who was sitting at a nearby table – none other than Avaric Tenmeadows and his rich father-in-law.

"Avaric Tenmeadows, here?" Crope said.

Galinda stepped toward them. "Well, if it isn't the enemy of Avenue A… and Mr. Grey." She mussed up some of Mr. Grey's hair. He obviously didn't look too happy about it.

"Wine and beer!" someone at the table shouted to the waiter.

"What brings the mogul in his own mind to the Life Café?" asked Crope as he and Galinda finally settled themselves into seats.

Avaric stood up and approached the long table. Everyone stared at him. "I would like to propose a toast," he said. "To Galinda's noble try. It went well."

"Go to hell," said Galinda.

"Hey Avaric, why did Pfannee miss the show?" asked Fiyero.

Avaric coughed loudly and attempted to appear business-like. "There was a death in the family, if you must know."

"Who died?" asked Tibbett.

Avaric looked rather uncomfortable, but still said, "Our dog, Evita."

Boq looked at Fiyero, then at Crope, and lastly at Tibbett. That was a twist he had not been expecting. They began chuckling, remembering Tibbett's story of getting rid of the poor creature.

Avaric turned his attention, surprisingly enough, to Shell. Boq didn't know that Avaric even _knew_ Shell. "I'm surprised, Shell – a bright and charming girl like you, hanging out with these slackers?"

"They're better than you ever were, Avaric," she said, her eyes suddenly blazing like fire as she glared at him.

"Well, you all can make fun, but _I'm_ the one attempting to do some good around here," said Avaric. He started walking around the table. "Or do you really want a neighborhood where people piss on your stoop every night?" He arrived at the other end, near where Boq and Nessa were sitting. "This Bohemian lifestyle you all talk about – it's just a fallacy in your head. I mean, where did that word even come from? This is Oz. This is the Emerald City. This is _reality_. Whatever Bohemia might have been, it's dead now."

He began to walk back to his table. Boq saw an opportunity, and pushing all fear and doubt aside, he stood up and moved to the end of the table, where Avaric had just been. He rested his hands on the table and announced, "Dearly beloved, we gather here tonight to say our good-byes."

Taking the hint, Fiyero, Crope, and a few other men stood up, joined hands, and began to chant as though they were actually at a real funeral service. Boq climbed onto the table and lay down on his back, his arms folded across his chest. "Here she lies," he said. "No one knew her worth. But here, on this night when we celebrate the great Lurline…" He sat up and held up and empty glass. "…we raise our glasses to toast the life of Bohemia."

"To Bohemia!" the others shouted, raising their glasses in unison.

Boq looked over at Avaric and Mr. Grey and saw that they were staring right at him, as though daring him to do something. _Perfect_, he thought, feeling much more mischievous than normal. _This is going to be fun._ He stood up with the table and continued with his mock toast. "To days of inspiration, to playing hooky, to making something out of nothing. To the need to express yourself – to communicate. To going against the grain, going insane, and going mad!"

Fiyero stood up again and climbed up on the table beside Boq. "To loving tension, no pension, to more than one dimension! To starving for attention but hating convention and hating pretension! Not to mention, of course, hating dear old mom and dad." He motioned to Mr. Grey, who looked offended, to Boq and Fiyero's satisfaction.

"To riding your bike mid-day past the green-colored suits!" said Boq.

"To fruits!"

"To no absolutes! To choice! To the Ozian Voice!"

"To any passing fad!" said Fiyero. He ran his hands over the diamonds on his face and chest, then pointed to Shell, who stood up and showed off her own diamonds.

"To being an 'us', for once, instead of a 'them'!" Boq pointed at Avaric and Mr. Grey.

"To Bohemia!" Fiyero said, and he was echoed by the rest of the group sitting around the table.

"Excuse me!" the waiter interrupted. "I need to take your orders!" Boq and Fiyero retreated to their seats for the moment, but Boq knew, as he exchanged glances with his friend, that this was far from over.

* * *

Elphaba found the Life Café without any trouble. She knew it was the right place immediately, not because of the name on the sign, but because of the amount of noise coming from inside. She had stayed behind at the lot to begin to clean-up after the performance. Oddly enough, a part of her wished Boq, of all people, had stayed behind to help. But apparently, he had forgotten all about what stage managing entailed when it came to post-performance time. Still, as much as it had surprised her, she was happy to see him taking care of Nessa. When she and Galinda had dropped by the community center, she had already gone. Elphaba was glad to see that she had made friends, however strange they might be.

She was not quite finished with the clean-up work, but she wasn't sure how Galinda would want it packed up. That was why she was at the Life Café already. Elphaba had promised Galinda that she would come anyway, once she was done, but she wasn't entirely sure yet that she would enjoy it, and putting it off was easy with so much work left to be done.

After taking a deep breath and reassuring herself that she could handle this, she entered the café. She ignored the waiter at the door and headed straight for Galinda, who sat on the far end of a long row of tables. Elphaba noticed that Avaric was there, but she paid him no heed. She was here on a mission.

"Oh, Elphie, you're here already?" Galinda asked excitedly once she saw Elphaba approaching. "We're already having so much fun!"

"That's wonderful, honey," said Elphaba. "But I'm not finished packing yet. I came to ask how you wanted the equipment arranged when I pack it up."

"It needs to be in a pyramid," said Galinda. She made a triangle shape with her hands, as though Elphaba didn't know what a pyramid was. "And Elphie, don't forget – the mixer doesn't have a case."

Elphaba frowned. She had already put the mixer away. If that case didn't belong to the mixer, what _did_ it belong to? "Oh, don't give me that face," said Galinda. Elphaba turned to go, but only got one step before she felt a pair of hands slap her ass. She turned to look at her girlfriend, unsure as to how she should respond to that at the moment. Galinda was usually not so bold in public – at least, not _that_ kind of bold.

Nearby, a man cleared his throat loudly. Elphaba turned to look at Avaric and the man who sat beside him, whom she presumed to be Mr. Grey, Avaric's father-in-law. It must have been Mr. Grey who had cleared his throat, if the obvious look of disapproval on his face was any indication. Clearly, he did not like the idea of Galinda and Elphaba together. Elphaba was used to such opinions; they didn't bother her any more than negative opinions about her skin color. Galinda, on the other hand, was not used to people judging her based on her sexuality, so she struggled sometimes in dealing with this kind of prejudiced behavior, even if she wouldn't admit it.

But as Elphaba prepared to defend herself and Galinda in front of this man, Galinda took her by surprise once again and pulled Elphaba to her side. "Hey mister," she said. "She's my sister." It was not true, of course, and normally, Elphaba would not have approved of Galinda introducing her as her sister. But since Galinda had made it so obviously into a mockery of Mr. Grey's opinions, Elphaba had no problem with it. In fact, it was rather funny.

She pulled away, knowing she had to get back to packing, but Galinda grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Stay for a minute," she said. "Sit down, have a drink, take a break! You've been working so hard all day. Can't the packing wait a few minutes?" She was looking at her with those eyes that Elphaba found so hard to resist.

"Fine," said Elphaba. "A few minutes. But then I've got to get everything packed up so we can relax tomorrow."

Galinda smiled at her, and Elphaba's choice to stay for a few minutes was as good as set in stone. Whenever Galinda smiled like that, something melted inside Elphaba. But somewhere in her head, a little voice laughed at her, telling her that she was caught up in the Tango: Galinda once again.

* * *

Boq watched as the waiter returned to the other end of the table, where Elphaba had just sat down. He couldn't hear what they were saying from this far away, but Elphaba shook her head when the waiter spoke to her, so Boq guessed that she wasn't going to order anything.

"Okay," said the waiter, speaking loudly enough for the entire table to hear. "So that's five miso soups, four seaweed salads, three soy burger dinners, two tofu dog platters, one pasta with meatless balls…"

"Ew!" said a man about halfway down the table.

"It tastes the same," said Crope.

"If you close your eyes," Shell added, causing the others to laugh.

"…and thirteen orders of fries," the waiter finished. "Is that it here?"

"Wine and beer!" the group shouted in unison. Boq saw the waiter roll his eyes before leaving the table and disappearing.

After he had gone, Shell stood up. "How about another toast?" she asked, and the others cheered. "To hand-crafted beers," she said then, raising a glass, "made in local breweries!"

"To yogurt and rice and beans and cheese!" added Tibbett. The two exchanged glances, then simultaneously climbed up onto the table, drawing a cheer out of their friends, a worried look from Avaric, and a rather exasperated look from Elphaba.

"To leather!" said Shell.

"To dildos!" said Tibbett.

"To curry vindaloo!"

"To emotion!" Galinda chimed in now, standing. Boq was not surprised at all that Galinda wanted to get in on this.

"To devotion!" shouted Crope. He stood up too, exchanging glances with Tibbett.

"To causing a commotion!" said Galinda. She looked down at Elphaba, who rolled her eyes, but managed a smile nonetheless.

"To creation!" said Nessa from beside Boq. She could not stand to join the others, but she raised her glass anyway.

"To vacation!" Fiyero called out. Shell smiled at him as he stood.

"To lots of masturbation!" Boq added. His addition to the series of toasts earned him a wide variety of reactions, from laughter to blushes to glares (on Mr. Grey's part). He even thought he heard someone whisper that this pronouncement explained so much, but he didn't care.

"To compassion!"

"To fashion!"

"To passion when it's new!" said Tibbett, giving a rather sappy look to Crope.

"To the stage!" called Galinda, dramatically laying herself across the table.

"To anything taboo!" said Crope, and he was joined by a rousing cheer.

"To Bohemia!" Boq called.

"To Bohemia!" the group echoed, then each one took a drink. At that moment, the waiter reappeared with their fries and began passing the orders out. Chatting wildly, they temporarily sat to enjoy their food.

* * *

Elphaba took the delivery of the first round of food as her cue to leave. She was amused by all the toasting, even if it wasn't exactly the sort of thing she herself would do, but there was work still to be done, and it wasn't in her nature to be able to have fun when work still needed to be done. The sooner she finished this business of picking up the equipment, the sooner she would get back to learning to appreciate the world her girlfriend like to live in. Her sisters seemed to enjoy it too, she reminded herself. She would, too, she supposed – once her work was done, that is.

"Galinda, darling, I've got to go finish packing," she said to her girlfriend, who was beaming after all this excitement.

Galinda's smile faded and she went immediately into pouting mode. "Do you have to go now?" she asked.

"I won't have fun here 'til everything's done, honey," said Elphaba.

"Oh, well, if you _have_ to…" said Galinda, obviously disappointed. "Just make sure you wipe the speakers off before you pack them."

"Yes, Galinda," Elphaba said. She stood and turned to go.

"Hurry back," Galinda said. She stood up, grabbed Elphaba's arm, and pulled her back, straight into a kiss. As usually happened, Elphaba's mood mellowed out the moment Galinda's lips touched hers. She brought one hand up to hold Galinda's face.

"Sisters?"

Mr. Grey's surprised voice interrupted their brief moment of passion. They both turned to look at him, still holding onto each other. Elphaba nearly wanted to laugh. He had honestly believed her when Galinda said they were sisters?

"We're close," Galinda said. Elphaba let her mischievous side take over temporarily, and to make Mr. Grey even more uncomfortable, she moved her hand from Galinda's face to her breast. She squeezed it once, enjoying the disgusted look on Mr. Grey's face, then pulled away from her girlfriend and headed for the door. She secretly hoped Avaric and Mr. Grey would still be there when she returned; she was looking forward to tormenting them some more, especially if that involved kissing or fondling a certain petite blonde woman.

* * *

Everyone at the table stopped to watch as Galinda kissed Elphaba in front of Mr. Grey. Shell was particularly amused by the idea Galinda had previously given Mr. Grey about them being sisters. Shell was comfortable around many things that were normally considered taboo, but the notion of having romantic interactions with her sisters was a little _too_ strange. She _did_ like the look on Mr. Grey's face as he watched Elphaba grope Galinda, though – it was priceless.

Meanwhile, Crope and Tibbett had climbed up onto the table again and were now making out on top of it – and on top of each other. "Brothers!" they said together, looking up for a moment, and Mr. Grey looked as though he might faint at any moment.

Tibbett and Crope had the right idea, Shell decided. Tormenting these prudes was far too fun and tempting for Shell to resist. She stood up again, this time without a glass. "A toast to faggots, lezzies, dykes, and bisexuals!" she said, nodding to Galinda.

"To being human!" Boq added, joining her.

"And to Animals!" Fiyero was quick to add.

"To apathy, empathy, entropy, and ecstasy!" said Crope.

"To no shame!"

"To never playing the fame game!"

"To pinlobble leaves!" Crope called out, and the others laughed.

"To sodomy!" said Nessa. "It's between the Unnamed God and me." Shell stared at her sister in surprise. Nessa had always been more religious than either Shell or Elphaba, but it seemed she wasn't a devout Unionist anymore.

"To S & M!" someone called out.

"To freedom for all!" shouted Galinda.

"To Bohemia!" called Boq.

"To Bohemia!" came the cry from the group.

That seemed to be enough for Mr. Grey. "Waiter! Waiter!" Avaric called as his father-in-law gathered up his coat and left in a hurry.

Crope moved to stand on the table. "In honor of the death of Bohemia, an impromptu salon will commence immediately following dinner! Shell Thropp, clad only in bubble wrap, will perform her famous lawn chair-handcuff dance to the sound of iced tea being stirred!" Shell stood up and began to dance a little as he spoke. She glanced toward Nessa and was surprised to see that there was no surprise at all on Nessa's face. She made a mental note to ask Nessa about this later.

"And Boq will preview his new documentary on his inability to hold an erection of the Unionist holy days!" said Fiyero, standing up to join Crope. Boq, meanwhile, only blushed.

Suddenly, Shell felt a tug at her arm from behind. She turned around quickly and saw Avaric there. "What do you want?" she asked him, suddenly angry.

"Your new boyfriend doesn't know about us," he said.

"There's nothing to know," Shell said. "I made the mistake of sleeping with you once, and only because you got me drunk and I felt fat that day. That's all."

"Don't you think that we should discuss it?"

"It was three months ago," Shell reminded him.

"You know, he doesn't act like he's with you," said Avaric.

Shell knew that was true, but pretended it didn't bother her. After all, it was a miracle she'd even got him out tonight at all. "We're taking it slow," she said.

"So where is he?" Avaric asked.

_That's a stupid question_, Shell thought. "He's right…" She stopped, realizing suddenly that Fiyero was not next to her anymore. "Where'd he go?" She looked around, but Fiyero had vanished.

"Exactly," said Avaric, and without another word, he disappeared. She heard him call for the check, so she turned to watch him leave. She didn't want a surprise entrance from him again. On his way out, he was passed by Elphaba, who had gone to finish cleaning up after the protest. She looked tired, but she also looked eager to say something.

Meanwhile, Boq's face was no longer red, and he was now standing on the table and pointing in Galinda's direction. "Galinda Arduenna, just back from her spectacular one-night engagement at the Avenue A lot, will perform Arjiki tribal chants backward through her vocoder, while accompanying herself on the electric cello, which she has never studied." He moved down the table and took Galinda by the hand. She stood up, joined him on the table, and playfully pressed her lips to his in a brief kiss.

Shell immediately turned to look at her oldest sister, who entrance had gone unnoticed by everyone else. Elphaba stared in stunned disbelief for a moment. Then, with a look that said she was close to vomiting, she turned and ran back out the café door. Shell was tempted to go after her, but her attention was drawn back to the group with Boq's next words.

"And Fiyero will attempt to write a bittersweet evocative song…" said Boq. Shell now saw that Fiyero had gone over to the corner of the café, where the equipment for a band was set up, and was now holding the electric guitar in his hands. He began to play a series of notes in a tune that was familiar to Shell. "…that doesn't remind us of Lurline's Waltz," Boq said, cutting Fiyero's playing short. Fiyero made a rude gesture toward Boq, then bent to turn off the amplifier and kept playing.

"The angel of Avenue A, Tibbett, will model the latest fashions from Gillikin while accompanying herself on the ten-gallon plastic tub," said Crope as Tibbett began to walk across the table like it was a runway.

"And Crope will recount his exploits as an anarchist," said Tibbett. "Including his successful reprogramming of the Shizian Virtual Reality Equipment to self-destruct as it broadcast the words: Actual reality! Act up! Fight AIDS!"

The group began to cheer, and the waiter began to slowly bring dinner orders out, but Shell had another objective in mind. Standing up, she got out of her seat and walked to the corner, where Fiyero was still strumming the electric guitar.

"Excuse me," she said, and he turned to face her. "Did I do something wrong? I get invited, then ignored all night long!"

"I've been trying," said Fiyero. "I'm not lying. No one's perfect – I've got baggage."

"Life's too short, babe," said Shell. "Time is flying. Everyone's got baggage. I'm looking for a set that goes with mine."

Fiyero looked away. "I should tell you…"

"I've got baggage, too."

"Wine and beer!" shouted their friends from behind them. Shell and Fiyero ignored them.

Fiyero slowly put down the guitar and straightened to look Shell in the eye. "I should tell you… I'm disaster. I forget how to begin it."

"So let's just make this part go faster," said Shell.

"Okay," Fiyero said, nodding.

"I should tell you I blew the candle out just to stay with you," said Shell.

"I'd forgotten how to smile until your fingers touched my skin," said Fiyero.

"Like this?" Shell asked playfully, lifting a hand to touch his cheek.

"Exactly like that," Fiyero replied, smiling brightly.

"So… are we doing this?" Shell asked.

"I guess we are," said Fiyero. He took her other hand and held it in his. "Who knows where this will lead?"

"You're okay with that?" she asked.

Fiyero hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Who knows? This might be the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Well then, here we go," said Shell.

"Here goes," Fiyero agreed. They stayed that way for a moment, then she was suddenly pressed up against Fiyero and his lips were on hers. It could have been an eternity that they spent that way, or it could have been only a moment, but Shell couldn't have been happier.

* * *

Elphaba did not want to go back into the Life Café. Or, to be more accurate, she did not want to see Galinda. She still couldn't believe Galinda would kiss Boq when she thought Elphaba wasn't around. Kissing anyone other than Elphaba was bad enough, but Boq? That had sent Elphaba over the edge. She knew now that she had to end this. It would be the hardest thing she had ever had to do, but she had to remember that this would hurt less than enduring more of Galinda's free-spirited ways.

With her jaw set, Elphaba marched into the Life Café. She caught a glimpse of her youngest sister passionately kissing the Winkie boy in the corner of the café, but she was too focused on her current mission to spare more than a passing thought or glance in that direction. Instead, she walked straight to the end of the table where Galinda sat. She was glad that Avaric and Mr. Grey had gone now; breaking up with Galinda would ruin the impression they had made on them.

This time, Galinda saw her enter. Smiling, she leapt out of her seat and came to greet Elphaba. "Are we packed?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes," said Elphaba. "And by next week, I want _you_ to be." It was surprisingly easy to get the words out, even with Galinda smiling so brightly at her.

But Galinda's expression changed as she started to process the words Elphaba had said. Her eyes widened in shock. "Pookie?" she asked, confused and desperate.

Elphaba ignored her and turned to the table. "You should see it out there," she told them. She had meant to share this news before, but Galinda's betrayal had distracted her, to say the least. "They've padlocked your building," she said, pointing to Boq, "and they're rioting on Avenue B." Across the table, eyes widened in surprise. "It seems Avaric called the Gale Force."

"That fuck!" said Galinda from behind her. Elphaba looked over her shoulder at the blonde woman. She had heard that sort of language out of Galinda before, but it still seemed strange to hear it coming from someone who looked as innocent as Galinda did.

Then Elphaba turned back to the rest of the group. "They don't know what they're doing," she told them. "The Gale Force is sweeping the lot, but nobody's leaving – they're just sitting there, mooing!"

Cheers went up around the table. Elphaba felt Galinda grab her arm, but she pulled it away and moved to stand closer to Nessarose on the other end of the table. She refused to let Galinda ruin her evening any more than she already had – if it was _possible_ for Galinda to ruin it more than she already had. Yes, it was the results of Galinda's protest that they were now celebrating, but she chose not to focus on _who_ had done it, but rather what had been done. It was only a small victory in the fight for equality and freedom for all, but it was a victory nonetheless, and Elphaba planned to savor that victory.

Everyone around the table was on their feet now – except for Nessarose, of course, but she looked like she was in a celebratory mood anyway. Elphaba took Nessa's hand and squeezed it, smiling down at her sister, who smiled back up at her.

Nearby, Shell and Fiyero rejoined the celebration. "To dance!" Shell called out. "No way to make a living, masochism, pain, perfection, muscle spasms, chiropractors, short careers, eating disorders!"

"To film!" Boq joined in. "Adventure, tedium, no family, boring locations, dark rooms, perfect faces, money, and sleaze!"

"To music!" shouted Tibbett. She climbed onto the table and began to dance as she spoke in rhythm. "The food of love, emotion, mathematics, isolation, rhythm, power, feeling, harmony, and heavy competition!"

"To anarchy!" Crope shouted, putting one arm around Galinda and one arm in the air. He pounded that fist into the air as he shouted. "Revolution, justice, screaming for solutions, forcing changes, risk and danger, making noise, and making pleas!"

"To me!" Galinda shouted, and she was echoed by both Boq and Fiyero.

"To all of us!" shouted Crope, pointing around the café at everyone – including people who were not part of their group. By now, of course, people were staring. Many had been staring for a while.

"To people living with – not dying from – disease!" Tibbett called out.

"Let he among us without sin be the first to condemn!" shouted Nessa. This earned a cheer from across the table.

"To anyone out of the mainstream!" called Boq.

"Is anyone _in_ the mainstream?" asked Elphaba. After all, she was a lawyer, and lawyers were normally considered mainstream, yet here she was.

"To anyone alive with a sex drive!" Crope shouted.

"Don't we all?" came Shell's voice.

"After all, the opposite of war isn't peace," Boq said. "It's creation!"

"Long live Bohemia!" called Fiyero, raising a glass once again in a toast.

"Long live Bohemia!" they all echoed, raising their glasses with Fiyero and filling the Life Café with joy and celebration and the sounds of friendship.

* * *

_Outside, the riot continues. The Gale Force moves through the crowd, but no one moves – they moo instead. Meanwhile, the snow dances, and the cold night descends even more heavily upon the City of Emeralds._

_Inside, the celebration continues. For Elphaba and Galinda, the celebration is bittersweet. But for the rest, it is a night of joy. Crope and Tibbett can't keep their hands off each other, and Fiyero and Shell seem to be living in their own world, oblivious to everything except each other. Nessarose has taken to holding my hand again, and I have no complaints about that._

_I can't say how next year will go, or even what will happen in the next few days. But for now, I feel more content and connected than I have in a long time. Whatever happens, I hope this night stays with me. It's been weird, but wonderful at the same time. And it always feels good to be wonderful._

_Long live Bohemia!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Pan to the padlocked door: New Year's Eve, the breaking-back-into-the-building party. Ever since the protest, we've been locked out of our building, thanks to Avaric. Shell's been staying with her sisters all week, and since Elphaba refused to let Galinda back into the apartment, she's been staying at Tibbett and Crope's place with me. Fiyero, meanwhile, opted to stay with the Thropp sisters – they've got a much bigger place, and he's been wanting to spend as much time as possible with Shell._

_Tonight, we're planning on bringing in the New Year by breaking back into our building. Everyone will be happier once we don't have to squish back into two apartments, especially because half of us had all of our stuff locked away – or in Galinda's case, had to have it taken out little by little by Shell. It's been an interesting – and crowded – couple of days, but we're looking forward to the New Year. Hopefully it will be a happy one._

_

* * *

_

"How long 'til next year?" Shell asked. She was sitting next to Fiyero on the steps leading up to the padlocked door to their apartment building.

"About seven and a half minutes," said Fiyero, glancing down at his watch. He looked back up at Shell. Like him, she wore the same outfit she'd worn on Lurlinemas Eve – the night they met. They'd borrowed clothes this week from Nessarose and Crope, but they were wearing their own clothes again in anticipation of having their own wardrobes back again.

"You know, eviction or not, this week's been so hot," Shell told him. She reached out a hand to caress his cheek and Fiyero nearly melted on the spot. "As long as you're mine, it doesn't matter where I live – I know I'll be cool."

"Well then, it's gonna be a happy New Year," said Fiyero, and he leaned in to kiss her.

She smiled at him as he pulled away. "Do you want some champagne?" she asked, holding up the bottle that they had bought for the occasion.

"I'd love some," said Fiyero. Shell picked up a cup and poured him some before proceeding to drink out of the bottle herself. "To the New Year," Fiyero said, raising his cup.

"Here, here," said Shell, clanging the bottle against his cup.

"Hey, you're supposed to be working!" said a voice. They turned to see Boq walking toward them. "And that's for midnight," he added, pulling the champagne bottle out of Shell's hand and sticking it in the small bucket of ice. Then Boq looked around. "Where are they?" he asked. "There isn't much time."

"Maybe they're dressing," Shell suggested. "I mean, what does one wear that's appropriate for a party that's also a crime?"

At that moment, Galinda appeared. Shell had been bringing Galinda any clothes she asked for this week, since Elphaba hadn't even let her into the apartment long enough to clear out her things (which made Fiyero suspect that part of Elphaba still hoped to change her mind and take Galinda back). It was clear that Shell had brought out _this_ outfit specifically for the occasion, though Fiyero had no idea where Galinda had gotten it in the first place. She was dressed entirely in black leather, which would have looked ridiculous on her even without the pink belt and matching headband she wore. Fiyero nearly burst out laughing just looking at her.

"Chips, anyone?" Galinda asked, holding up a bag of potato chips.

Fiyero was glad to see that Boq found Galinda's get-up as amusing as he did. "You can take the girl out of Gillikin, but you can't take the Gillikin out of the girl," Boq said, indicating her outfit.

"Hey, my riot got you on TV," she said. "I deserve a royalty." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Be nice, you two, or no Oz-awful champagne," said Shell.

"Don't mind if I do," said Galinda, her mood brightening. She took the bottle out of the bucket and poured herself a glass. She took a sip or two, then announced, "I've decided on my New Year's Resolution."

"Really?" Shell asked.

"Does it have anything to do with Elphaba?" asked Fiyero.

"Well, no," said Galinda. "I mean, yes, I would like very much to patch things up with Elphie so she'll take me back, but that's not my resolution – that's just more of a… _goal_ of mine. What I _really_ want to do is…" She paused, clearly trying to emphasize whatever drama there was in the resolution. Fiyero, for one, had always found Galinda's dramatic pauses to be rather annoying. "… change my name," she finished, waving her hands as if to add extra flourish to the announcement.

"Change your name?" Fiyero repeated, surprised. He would not have expected that from anyone he knew, much less Galinda. "Are you serious? What would you change it to?"

"More importantly, why?" asked Shell.

"I'm so glad you asked," said Galinda, smiling. "Years ago, on my first train ride out of Frottica, I met a professor on his way to Shiz – a very nice Goat called Dillamond. He teaches – or taught, perhaps – history at Shiz. We had a lovely talk until he got off the train at Shiz, while I continued on to the Emerald City. I haven't seen him since, but with all this trouble the Animal community has been facing, I think of him often."

"What does that have to do with your name?" asked Boq.

"Dr. Dillamond couldn't pronounce my name with the proper Gillikinese pronunciation," she explained. "He just called me 'Glinda.' So I've decided, in honor of Dr. Dillamond, and in order to protest the current public view of Animals, that from now on, I shall be known no longer as '_Ga-_linda', but as simply 'Glinda.'"

They all just stared at her, somewhat stunned and quite unsure of how to respond. "That's… wonderful, Galin – I mean, _Glinda_," said Shell.

"What's wonderful?"

Tibbett and Crope had just arrived. Tibbett was wearing a brightly-colored dress and blonde wig, yet she looked less ridiculous than Galinda – _Glinda_, Fiyero corrected himself. Crope, meanwhile, was dressed in the nicest set of emerald-green clothes he owned.

"We've just been informed that Galinda is changing her name to Glinda," said Fiyero.

"Really?" said Crope, turning to look at Glinda. Crope was her best friend – he'd always understood her better than most people could – yet even _he_ seemed shocked by the news.

"Really," said Glinda. "I'm becoming a better person, and I'm changing my name to reflect that."

"Well, I think that name works perfectly on you, darling," said Tibbett. Boq had mentioned to Fiyero that Tibbett and Glinda had bonded this week, particularly in the area of fashion – which Boq, of course, could not understand. Fiyero was not the most knowledgeable person in Oz when it came to fashion, but he was no idiot in that area, either.

"Thank you," said Glinda. "I'm glad _someone_ appreciates my attempts at change." She glared at Fiyero and Shell, so they had no doubt as to whom she meant.

"What?" Fiyero asked. "I never said I didn't like the name – I just wanted to know why you're doing it, that's all."

Glinda still looked rather annoyed with him, but she dropped the subject. "So, no luck on the door?"

Fiyero shook his head. "It's bolted plywood padlocked with a chain."

"In other words, a total dead end," said Shell.

Galinda sighed. "Just like my ex-girlfriend," she muttered glumly. She pulled a cell phone out of the bag she had slung over her shoulders and moved a short distance away from them. "Honey, I know you're there," she said, and Fiyero had to assume Elphaba had not answered the phone. "Please pick up the phone. Are you okay?" Movement out of the corner of his eyes caused Fiyero to turn. He saw Boq stepping quietly toward Glinda. His camera was rolling, and he wore a devious grin. When Glinda finally saw him, she waved Boq away, annoyed. "It's not funny!" she told him. "It's not fair!" she said into the phone. "How can I atone? I know I lose control sometimes, but I can learn to behave." Boq continued to follow her with the camera, and while she spoke with Elphaba's answering machine, she silently tried to fight him off. It was thoroughly amusing for Fiyero and the others. "Give me one more chance! Let me be your slave! I'll even kiss your old boots – let me kiss your old boots! Your every wish I will obey!"

Unnoticed by Glinda, Elphaba had arrived on the scene with Nessarose. No one alerted the blonde to the green woman's presence – it was fun just watching Elphaba's reaction to Glinda's words. As Glinda finished her pleading, Elphaba left Nessa's side and walked up behind her. Fiyero could see Elphaba's eyes looking the blonde woman up and down, obviously as amused by the outfit as by Glinda's words. "That _might_ be okay," she saw slowly.

Glinda wheeled around. The surprised look on her face quickly turned into a smile. "Pookie!" she said excitedly.

"Down girl," Elphaba said, and Glinda immediately knelt down in obedience. She tried to stand again, but Elphaba seemed intent on keeping her on the ground. "Heel, stay." Glinda's smile faded. Now she seemed annoyed at being treated like a slave. Fiyero imagined she was regretting saying those words now.

"I did a bit of research with my colleagues at Legal Aid," Elphaba told the rest of the group. "Technically, once you're inside, you'll be squatters. Avaric won't be able to just kick you out, so there's hope. But just in case…" She pulled something off the back of Nessa's chair. "… I brought rope!"

Boq's face lit up. "Perfect!" he said. "We can hoist the line…"

"To the fire escape," Elphaba finished.

"And tie it off at…"

"That bench!" they both said at the same time, pointing in the direction of a nearby bench. They exchanged glances, then greeted each other like old friends. It was a bit odd to Fiyero, considering the way Boq had felt about Elphaba only a week ago.

Glinda didn't seem happy about the change in the dynamic between Boq and Elphaba, either. "I can't take them as chums," she commented.

Elphaba flashed a satisfied grin in Glinda's direction. "Start hoisting, wench!" she said, tossing the rope to a now angry Glinda. Glinda followed Boq and Elphaba as they hurried off toward the fire escape.

"By the way, who are the two of you supposed to be?" Shell asked once they had gone, turning to Tibbett and Crope. "I didn't get to ask you in the midst of all the Glinda excitement."

"I'm Oz – the Wizard of Oz," said Crope.

"And I'm his lovely assistant," Tibbett said, smiling.

"Does the Wizard even _have_ an assistant?" Fiyero asked.

"Who cares?" said Tibbett. "We don't even know if the Wizard is really a man or not. It's just all part of the fun!"

"Well, it looks like you came prepared, o lovely assistant," said Nessa. Fiyero looked and saw that Tibbett was carrying several tools, including a blowtorch, which would be very useful in getting rid of this damn door.

"My dad was a handyman once," she said. "He always wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but… well, I never did."

"Well, angel, why don't you handle the bolts?" asked Crope.

"Just say the word," she said. Then she moved up toward the door, stepping past Fiyero and Shell, and set to work. They all watched as Tibbett began to remove the bolts from the door, their anticipation building.

* * *

"Why are we doing this?" Galinda asked, and Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Haven't we already tried getting in this way?" They were climbing up the fire escape and were now approaching the window of Boq and Fiyero's apartment. _If you can even call it an apartment_, Elphaba thought. Granted, it was dark and hard to see, but the loft didn't seem all that impressive upon first glance.

"Just keep going, Glinda," said Boq. He sounded as annoyed as Elphaba felt. She was about to add a remark of her own when something Boq had said registered within her as being odd.

"Glinda?" she repeated. Perhaps Boq had misspoken, or perhaps she had misheard, but she could have sworn she heard 'Glinda' come out of his mouth, and from what she knew of Boq, he would never mispronounce Galinda's name.

"Oh, you weren't there when I told the others," said her girlfriend. _Ex-girlfriend_, Elphaba reminded herself. She needed to start getting that right in her head or she would never get it right out loud.

"When you told them what?" Elphaba asked.

"I'm changing my name," Galinda said. "It's just 'Glinda' now. The 'Ga' is silent."

Elphaba stared at her, not sure whether she was supposed to take her seriously right now, especially when she talked about the "Ga" in her name being silent. She waited for a moment, then said, "And may I ask what brought this on?"

"Well, it was partly this whole business of protesting for people's rights," said Galinda – _Glinda_, Elphaba thought, deciding it was unfair that she now had to adjust the blonde woman's name in her thoughts as well as their relationship status. "And partly it was because of Dr. Dillamond."

Elphaba was a little taken aback by this last statement. "My old history teacher?" she asked. Of course, he meant more to her than that. Dr. Dillamond was the only Animal left teaching at Shiz. Besides being very intelligent and a brilliant professor, Elphaba had connected with him over issues of prejudice and intolerance – something they were both very used to.

Glinda nodded. "Remember how I told you about meeting him on the train once, and how he couldn't say my name right?"

"Yes," Elphaba said. As she recalled, Glinda hadn't been real fond of the Goat who couldn't say her name, though that wasn't the way she told the story to most people.

"Well, I've decided to call myself Glinda now, since that's what he called me," said Glinda.

Elphaba was not convinced. There was something Glinda was not telling her – she knew it. There had to be more to the story, especially since this was Glinda, who had always loved her name.

But before Glinda said more or Elphaba had a chance to ask for more, Boq spoke up. "Look," he said, pointing into the loft. He held up his camera. "Ironic close-up: tight on the phone machine's red light. It seems the power has mysteriously come back on."

Sure enough, Elphaba could see that the power had indeed come back on. Almost immediately, the phone machine began spitting out messages that had been left in the past seven days.

The first was from Boq's mother. "Boq, dear, you're not screening your calls still, are you? It's your mother, calling as promised. We've been thinking of you, and we hope you're having a lovely Lurlinemas. We wish you were here! Please call, Boq dear. Love Mom!"

The phone beeped. "Boq dear, it's Mom again. I know I promised I wouldn't call twice in one day, but I've just learned some very interesting news and I had to ask you about it. The governor came to our ball tonight – isn't that wonderful?" Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Apparently, his daughter, Nessarose, is staying in the city for the holidays, and – get this – he knows this because Miss Galinda told him! I know you probably don't like me to mention her, but it seems that the woman she left you for is actually none other than the governor's eldest, Miss Elphaba. Isn't that odd? I was thinking that you could use this to your advantage – perhaps you can meet Miss Nessarose through Galinda. Wouldn't that be a splendid match – the mayor's son and the governor's daughter? Do call me, Boq dear – I would _love_ to hear your thoughts on the matter."

"I'm sure you would," Boq muttered. Elphaba sighed. She hated being the center of pointless gossip like this. She was used to it, of course – being green earned you a place in gossip even when being gay didn't – but that didn't mean she liked it. She wondered what Boq's mother would think if she knew that "Miss Galinda" wasn't dating a daughter of the governor anymore. _She probably wouldn't care_, Elphaba thought. _Especially since Boq found his way to Nessarose on his own_.

The phone beeped. "Boq dear, it's your mother again. Why haven't you responded to any of my calls? We all want to hear about Miss Galinda's protest and that awful riot." Elphaba could practically feel Glinda's excitement at the mention of her protest. "We're very proud that your footage made the nightly news all the way out here in Rush Margins. Even the governor says congratulations, though he doesn't seem as pleased at Galinda's role in the whole affair. Anyway, please call us, Boq dear. We miss you terribly. Love Mom!"

"If my mother left any more messages, I'll kill her," Boq muttered. Elphaba would have laughed, but all this talk about her father and Glinda was putting her in a bad mood.

The phone beeped. The time, the voice that came out of the machine did not belong to Boq's mother – to Boq's relief. "Hello, Boq? This is Madame Morrible, official press secretary to His Supreme Ozness, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and manager of the Emerald City branch of Ozline," said a strange and not very sweet sounding voice.

"Madame Morrible?" Elphaba repeated, shocked. She had heard about Shiz's former headmistress's change in career, but she never imagined she'd have to hear that voice again.

Beside her, Boq seemed more interested in the fact that Madame Morrible had mentioned Ozline – a news show that Elphaba made a point _not_ to watch. "That show's so sleazy," Boq said.

"Your footage of the riot was most impressive," Morrible's voice went on. "I would like to personally extend an invitation to you to come work for us here at Ozline. We could use a fresh, new take on hard-hitting stories." Elphaba rolled her eyes again. _A fresh, new take? Really?_ She didn't believe a word of it. "We're sending you a contract. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at my office at 970-4301, or at home at 863-6754. We hope to hear from you soon!"

The phone beeped once more, but no more messages played. They were all silent for a moment. Then Glinda began to move around excitedly. "I think we need an agent!" she said.

"We?" Boq repeated.

"That's selling out," said Elphaba.

"It's nice to dream," said Boq. "Come on, let's head back down."

They began to move back down the stairs of the fire escape. Elphaba wouldn't have said anything more about it, and she doubted Boq would have either, but Glinda seemed eager to stay on the subject. "It's network TV," she said, sounding in awe of the idea. "Oh, Boq! Your whole life could change, and all because of me!"

Boq exchanged glances with Elphaba. "Somehow I think I smell the whiff of a scheme," he told her.

"Me too," Elphaba agreed, and she doubted she would like what Glinda had in mind.

"All we have to do is plan another protest," said Glinda.

"We?" Elphaba didn't like the sound of that.

"This time, you can shoot from the start," she said to Boq. "And you'll direct," she told Elphaba. "Starring me!" She bounced down the stairs in giddy excitement, while Elphaba and Boq just kept their mouths shut. Elphaba knew perfectly well that Glinda was much more stubborn than she looked. Once she had an idea in her head, the Unnamed God himself wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise.

When they returned to the ground, they moved around to the front of the building, where the rest of the group was working or waiting. Elphaba moved instinctively toward Nessa, and was surprised when Boq did the same. Her sister and Boq were not together, at least not officially, but it was clear that there was a mutual attraction there. It was good for Nessa to have someone else looking after her, but Elphaba was still learning to overcome her overprotective and possessive tendencies when it came to Nessa. Reluctantly, she stepped aside and let Boq handle taking care of Nessa for the time being.

Suddenly, the door fell open with a loud thud, and the group cheered. They had done it; they were back in the building. "Is it midnight yet?" Nessa asked.

Nearby, Fiyero glanced down at his watch. "A few minutes past," he said, nodding. "Happy New Year, everyone!"

They answered with a resounding "Happy New Year!" and a few more cheers. Fiyero pulled Shell in for a kiss, and one was shared between Crope and Tibbett as well. Boq looked awkwardly at Nessarose, but neither of them moved. Elphaba's gaze, meanwhile, fell on Glinda, who looked rather sad that she didn't have anyone to kiss the New Year in with. Elphaba was tempted to go over and kiss her, but she knew that would only get her involved in Glinda's dance again. She ignored the little voice telling her that she would really love to be dancing with Glinda again.

A low whistle from behind them cut the celebrating short. They turned and saw none other than Avaric approaching the building. "I see that you beat me to the punch," said Avaric.

"How'd you know we'd be here?" asked Fiyero.

"I had a hunch," said Avaric, shrugging. "I'm actually surprised you didn't try to break in earlier than this." He didn't sound upset about it at all. In fact, he sounded more amused than anything else.

"You're not mad?" Boq asked, apparently as confused by Avaric's mood as Elphaba was.

"I'm here to end this war," said Avaric, shaking his head. "Though it's a shame you had to completely destroy the door." He sounded almost impressed with their work.

"Why the big about-face all of a sudden?" Shell asked.

"The credit is yours, actually," Avaric told her. "You made a good case."

Elphaba looked at her youngest sister in surprise. Fiyero did the same. "What case?" he asked.

Avaric laughed. "So she hasn't mentioned anything to you? Funny, she always seems like she has a lot to say. She's very convincing too, you know."

Shell glared at him. "That's not how at all how you put it yesterday."

"Well, I couldn't stop thinking about the whole mess," said Avaric. "Hey Boq, you wanna get this on film?"

Boq didn't look like he really wanted to get _any_ of this on film, but he said, "I guess," and held up his camera.

"I regret the unlucky circumstances of the past seven days," Avaric said.

"Circumstance?" Fiyero laughed. "You padlocked our door!"

"That's why it's my pleasure, on behalf of Cyberarts, to give you this key," said Avaric, holding up a key.

"Oh, sorry, there's no juice left in my battery," Boq said, though he didn't really sound sorry about it at all.

"So reshoot," said Avaric.

"Oh, I see," said Fiyero. "This is a photo opportunity."

"It's not like that," Avaric tried to argue, unconvincingly.

"The benevolent god ushers the poor artists back to their flat," Glinda said. "Were you planning on taking down the barbed wire from the lot, too?"

"Oh, anything but that," said Fiyero.

Elphaba was glad to see that Avaric was looking increasingly desperate. "Clearing the lot was a safety concern," he said. "But we break ground this month. Besides, you're all free to return."

"So that's why you're here with people you hate, instead of with Pfannee at her parent's estate?" asked Glinda.

"I'd honestly rather be with you tonight than in Wittica," said Avaric.

"Oh, spare us," said Fiyero.

Now Avaric just looked angry. He marched up to Shell. "Shell, since your ways are so seductive, persuade them not to be so counterproductive!"

Shell looked just as angry. "You came on to me, remember?"

Elphaba suddenly felt very uncomfortable. This conversation did not sound like it was leading anyplace good. Avaric seemed to be accusing Shell of something that Elphaba really hoped – for Shell's sake and Fiyero's – she didn't do.

"Why don't you tell him what you wore to my place?" Avaric asked. He seemed to think he was winning this argument, so he was almost smiling.

"I was on my way to work," Shell turned and told Fiyero.

"In black leather and lace?" asked Avaric. "You know, my desk is still a mess, and I think I'm still sore."

"Because I kicked him and told him I wasn't his whore!" said Shell.

"Well, does your boyfriend know who your last boyfriend was?"

"You were never my boyfriend!" she yelled at him.

"And I don't care what she does!" Fiyero added, though the way he angrily walked away from her said otherwise.

"People!" called Tibbett, jumping out into the middle of the group. "Is this any way to start a new year? We're supposed to be celebrating, not fighting! Have compassion – Avaric just lost his cat."

"My dog, but I appreciate that," said Avaric. Elphaba felt a rush of hatred toward Avaric. How could anyone stoop so low as to actually _own_ an animal? She knew, of course, that the dog in question had not been a Dog, but it was still appalling to think of the way these animals were never given the chance to learn to speak and think for themselves.

"My cat had a fall, and I went through hell," said Tibbett, though Elphaba was sure Tibbett had never actually owned any animal of any kind.

"It's like losing a – wait, how did you know that she fell?" asked Avaric.

Tibbett froze, as though unsure how to answer. Fortunately, Crope rushed in to the rescue. "Champagne?" he asked, holding out a cup to Avaric.

"Don't mind if I do," said Avaric, taking the cup. "To dogs!" he added, raising the cup high.

"No, Avaric, to you!" said Crope, and those who had cups raised theirs in a mocking toast – all those, that is, except Shell, who refused to look at Avaric. She stumbled over to where her sisters were standing.

"I – I should tell you," she began nervously. "My job, it's… I'm a… I work at…"

"We know," Elphaba cut her off. She hated to see her sister so uncomfortable to talk about this.

She looked up at Elphaba in surprise. "You know?" she repeated, glancing from Elphaba to Nessa and back again. "You both know?"

Nessa nodded. "Why else would I have been so sure that you, of all people, could get Fiyero out of the loft?"

Shell looked shocked. She had obviously had no idea that her sisters knew about her job. "But how? Did Galin – did Glinda tell you?"

"No," Nessa said. "She was very good about it, actually. She _did_ confirm it when we asked her, though."

"So how…?"

Elphaba spoke up. "About six months ago, I overheard some colleagues talking about the local nightclubs. One mentioned a specific dancer called Shell. His description of you was fairly accurate. I went to the club that night to check it out, and there you were."

"You've known for six months?" Shell looked even more shocked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't our place," said Elphaba. "I had a little trouble at first, but that's only because I've always been so protective of you and Nessa. But Nessa reminded me that you've always been independent, and that you would tell us when you were ready. We trust you, you know."

Shell managed a small smile. "Thanks," she said. She moved toward Elphaba and threw her arms around her sister. Elphaba was surprised – Shell hadn't given her a hug in a very long time – but quickly recovered and pulled Shell in tighter.

"Aww, how sweet," said Tibbett from nearby. "Sister love." Shell pulled away from the hug and turned to stick out her tongue at Tibbett. Elphaba, meanwhile, was not quite as amused by the comment. It reminded her of Glinda and the "sisterly" love they had shared only a few nights ago. She knew that that was not what Tibbett what meant, but the comment had that effect on her anyway.

"Let's make a resolution," said Tibbett.

"I'll drink to that," said Shell. She was now looking at Fiyero again, and her good mood seemed to have vanished again. Avaric, meanwhile, had disappeared.

"I've already made one!" Glinda protested.

"You _are_ allowed to have more than one resolution, Glinda," said Elphaba.

"What should our resolution be?" Boq asked.

"How about we say we'll always be friends?" Crope suggested.

"I agree – that's a good one," said Tibbett.

"We _may_ have our disputes," said Elphaba.

"But this family tree's got deep roots," said Glinda.

"Friendship is thicker than blood," Boq added.

"That depends," Fiyero said glumly.

"It depends on trust," said Shell, obviously speaking to Fiyero.

"It depends on true devotion," Fiyero said back to her.

Elphaba had had just about enough of this. Her sister and Fiyero were too good together to let someone like Avaric come between them. She stepped forward and began urging Shell toward Fiyero. "It depends on love," she said, trying to ignore how hypocritical she felt at the moment.

"It depends on not denying emotion," said Boq, who was trying to urge Fiyero on. But both Fiyero and Shell seemed hesitant to go back to each other. Both kept taking a few steps, then turning around and trying to walk away. But their friends refused to let them walk away. Boq and Crope focused on Fiyero, while Elphaba and Tibbett kept Shell from leaving. Finally, they had forced the two to stand near each other. Only then did they stop putting up a fight.

But for a moment, they did not turn around to look at each other. They were both stubborn. Finally, at the same time, they turned around and said, "I'm sorry." Elphaba couldn't help smiling a little. It was a step forward again for them.

Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say next. Finally Crope spoke up. "Should we go in now?" he asked.

"Sure," said Fiyero.

"I just want to do one thing first," said Shell.

"What?" Fiyero asked.

"This," said Shell, and she pulled him toward her and kissed him.

"Alright, nothing to see here, folks," said Crope, though they all had been watching the two lovers for several seconds. "Let's move inside, shall we?"

"Crope, will you help me carry Nessa?" Boq asked, moving quickly to Nessarose's side.

"Sure," said Crope.

"I'll get her chair," said Fiyero, once he and Shell had separated.

"I'll help you with that," said Shell.

Soon, Crope and Boq were on their way upstairs with Nessa in their arms, while Shell and Fiyero went behind them with the wheelchair. Tibbett followed closely behind, leaving Elphaba and Glinda alone outside the building. Elphaba moved to follow her friends inside. She did not want to be alone with Glinda right now.

"Wait," said Glinda's voice. Elphaba stopped, but she did not turn around. "Elphaba, please. I need to tell you something." Elphaba still did not turn around. She wasn't sure she could handle facing Glinda. "Please." Elphaba felt Glinda's hand touch hers. She knew she should have pulled her hand away, but she didn't.

Finally, reluctantly, she turned around. Glinda seemed to sense that it was a good time to let go, so she released Elphaba's hand, leaving Elphaba free to cross her arms under her breasts. "What is it, Glinda?"

Glinda looked suddenly nervous. "I never finished explaining why I decided to change my name."

Elphaba hadn't been expecting that. She had been expecting Glinda to defend herself, or to beg to be taken back, like she had been doing on the phone earlier. She was surprised that Glinda wasn't still trying to beg for forgiveness. But she recovered quickly from the surprise. "So explain," she said simply.

"Right," said Glinda. She must have been hoping for a bigger response. "So I've had a lot of time for thinking this week, now that the protest is done. And now that I'm living with the boys again, I've realized that… well, I'm _different_ from how I was when I lived with them before." Elphaba didn't hide the skepticism she felt, and Glinda noticed. "No, I really mean it," she said. "I've changed since I left Boq. I mean, I know I'm still working on caring less about what other people think of me, and I _definitely_ know I'm not perfect, but I _am_ changing. And… well… it's all because of you."

"Glinda…"

"Elphie, I'm serious," Glinda said before Elphaba could say anything. "Before I met you, all I cared about was myself. I _still_ think too much about myself sometimes, but I'm starting to learn to think of others first – I really am. And that's mostly because that's what _you_ do." Elphaba was surprised. She wasn't generally the nicest person in Oz. Why would Glinda want to be anything like _her_? "You care so much about other people, even when they don't care for you back. I wish I knew how you do that. All I know is that it felt really, really good to do that protest – not just because I got to perform, but because it might help somebody."

"That's wonderful, Glinda," said Elphaba. This time, she didn't say it with any sarcasm; she actually meant it. She _was_ proud of Glinda for realizing what it felt like to do things for others, but she still failed to see how it applied to the name change. "But what does this have to do with changing your name?"

"I'm changing my name to show that I've changed," she replied. "The old me – the selfish me – was Galinda. The new me – the one who's still learning – is Glinda." She looked as though she had more to say, but she said nothing. Instead, she looked away from Elphaba. Her gaze fell on the ground instead.

"What is it?" Elphaba asked. Glinda still did not answer. Elphaba put one hand under Glinda's chin and raised her head so she was looking at Elphaba again. Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "Glinda, honey, what is it?"

"I – I don't think Glinda can exist without Elphaba," Glinda said quietly. "Galinda will start taking over again, and then _she'll_ fall apart, and then neither of them will exist anymore." She choked back a small sob. "I need my Elphie," she cried.

All of Elphaba's protests fell away as she heard Glinda's words. It _was_ true that she'd changed somewhat since they'd met, and Elphaba couldn't be more proud of her for the reasoning behind her name change. But mostly, Elphaba knew that she needed Glinda, too. All of her doubts and concerns were not gone, but in that moment, they couldn't compare to her need for this woman. She felt a rush of affection and desire for Glinda. She cupped Glinda's face in both hands and pulled her in for a kiss. She felt Glinda's hands wrap around her, and one ran through her hair. In turn, she moved her hands away from Glinda's face to surround the woman she loved.

Elphaba continued to kiss Glinda, her need outweighing any other thought. Glinda responded just as passionately. Elphaba even heard a moan escape Glinda's lips as they continued to kiss. Elphaba had missed this, though she never would have admitted it out loud. She felt _right_ again, now that she could feel the smaller woman's body up against hers. They fit together perfectly; this was the way it was supposed to be.

"Ahem." A small cough interrupted them. Their lips separated and they turned their heads toward the door to the building. Tibbett stood there, a wide grin on her face. "I hate to interrupt this lovely reunion, but when you two lovebirds are finished, we're waiting for you."

Elphaba and Glinda looked at each other, then laughed. "Just go ahead, Tib," said Glinda. "We'll be right up." Tibbett glanced from one to the other, then winked and disappeared back inside.

"How much do you want to bet she'll tell the others on us?" Elphaba asked, turning back to Glinda.

"None at all," said Glinda. Elphaba raised an eyebrow and Glinda laughed. "I _know_ she'll tell on us."

Elphaba shrugged. "I suppose we'd better go up then," she said.

"Just one more thing," said Glinda. She pulled Elphaba close for another kiss. "What can I say? Your sister's got good ideas."

Elphaba smiled, then took her girlfriend's hand and led her to the door. As they walked inside, she decided it was very nice to think of Glinda as her girlfriend again.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I had to post this chapter today, in honor of the 7th Anniversary of Wicked on Broadway. This is the beginning of what I consider to be part 2 of my story. From here on in, the chapters will be significantly less scripted. There will still be scenes that are heavily influenced by the RENT script (like the Take Me Or Leave Me scene), but I have to fill in the details of an entire year here, so I'm taking a lot of artistic liberties. There will also be a lot more themes and things from Wicked during this part. I have several Wicked-themed subplots that will begin soon. However, this particular chapter is more of a transition chapter. **

**I also need to warn you that these chapters will likely be coming slower than the others. I'm still a chapter or two ahead in my writing, but we're almost to the point where I have to update as I write. These chapters are harder to write, and they've been getting much, _much_ longer as I go along. With two writing classes and a planned NaNoWriMo project on top of that, I can't guarantee how fast the updates will be. But I fully intend to finish this fic, so be patient with me. And leave me reviews, pretty please. I love them.**

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_January 17__th__, around the 10__th__ hour, according to the Time Dragon Clock. It's been three weeks since we broke back into the building, and things have pretty much gone back to normal. This is to say, nothing has really happened to any of us in the past few weeks that has changed our lives. Overall, it's been a fairly dull few weeks, at least compared to the week leading up to the New Year._

_Tibbett and Crope haven't been around much. Crope's got himself a new teaching job at the local university, Oz University. It doesn't have as great a reputation as Shiz, but Crope really doesn't care about that. We're hoping he can stick around longer than a semester, but we don't have our hopes us. Most of Oz isn't ready for Crope's revolutionary theories. Tibbett, meanwhile, continues to play his drums on the street – when he isn't spending time with Crope, that is. He doesn't _need_ to play for money with Crope working, but he says it makes him happy to make other people happy with his music. Of course, he's happiest when he's with Crope. They fit so well together it's almost sickening._

_Shell and Fiyero have been just as inseparable. Technically, Fiyero is still my roommate, but since he practically lives down at Shell's, he might as well be hers. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them both. But I do miss having my best friend around sometimes. I guess I got so used to Fiyero never leaving the loft that it seems weird for him to rarely come back. He hasn't needed depression meds for a month, and if you hadn't known him before, you would never guess that he ever needed them. Shell has had that effect on him._

_Glinda and Elphaba are doing fairly well, considering what transpired between them the week before the New Year. Glinda continues to be a bit too flirtatious for Elphaba's liking, and Elphaba continues to be a bit too suspicious for Glinda's liking. Somehow they manage to get by without killing each other. Actually, they're doing better than managing, according to Nessarose. They still argue all the time, but they wouldn't quite be themselves without the bickering. They're not as picture-perfect a match as Crope and Tibbett, but even _I_ have to admit that they are, indeed, a match. Pink does go remarkably well with green, even if it is an unexpected combination of two very strong, bold colors._

_And as for Nessa and I… well, there isn't exactly an 'us' yet. I like Nessarose a lot; I really do. I'm just a little hesitant to jump into anything yet. After all, my last girlfriend cheated on me, then left me for a woman. I know that Nessa is not Glinda, but I'm still Boq, and it's hard for me to find the courage to ask out a girl. I've gone to the Life Support meetings each week, partly to get more footage, but mostly to see Nessa. She still likes to hold my hand whenever she can, which don't mind, except when the others pick on me for it. It's worth it, though; I really like holding Nessa's hand too._

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* * *

_

It was a very cold evening in the Emerald City, but as he made his way home from work at Oz University, Crope didn't notice. His thoughts were still back with his philosophy students… and with his fellow professors. The students had done remarkably well today, considering most of them were not as bright as the students at Shiz, and they were even less motivated. But today, the lack of enthusiasm on his students' part hadn't bothered him as much as the attitude of his new colleagues. Crope was used to working alongside professors who didn't appreciate diversity, but the professors at Oz U were even less capable of understanding and accepting differences than most. There wasn't a single Animal teaching – or studying – at Oz U. There weren't any female professors either, and Crope was certain that the moment his colleagues found out he was gay, he'd be out of a job before he could say, "His Supreme Ozness." They probably already suspected it, since he'd been so quick and determined to defend the gay lifestyle when the subject had come up today during the lunch hour. They already knew his views and beliefs were much different than their own, so Crope doubted he would be teaching at Oz U much longer.

Crope didn't really mind the idea of not teaching. He was sick of grading papers – that much he knew. And for all of his misery, he barely earned any salary at all. Normally, the lack of salary wouldn't have bothered him too much. Living without money was something he did very well. But now he was not just living for himself. He had Tibbett to care for as well. Tibbett had managed just fine before Crope came along, but now he was Crope's boyfriend, and Crope felt a certain responsibility to take care of him. That was why he didn't want to lose this job, as pathetic and unsatisfying as it was.

After a long ride on the underground and a short walk in the bitter cold of the Emerald City's winter air, Crope arrived at the building in which he lived now with Tibbett. The building was very old and rundown, and the apartment he and Tibbett shared was worse. The apartment had belonged to Tibbett's father and had passed to Tibbett when his father died. The only reason they could still live here was because the landlord never cared enough to collect the rent. The landlord also never bothered to fix up the place, or even to turn on the power, which meant they lived in a building with no power or heat. Sometimes Crope wondered whether the landlord even remembered he _owned_ the place. Still, as Tibbett had said once, it was more of a shelter than they could ever get living on the street.

Tonight, it barely felt warmer inside than out. Crope climbed a few flights of stairs to get to the apartment, then opened the door and ducked inside. Thanks to the fact that heat rises, it was a little warmer than downstairs, but it was still cold enough to make Crope very glad that he had a warm coat to wear. He wrapped the coat tighter around him, shivering. He looked over at the trash can in the middle of the room that served as a makeshift fireplace. No flames or smoke came from it, so Crope guessed that Tibbett had not come yet. He pulled a match from a box on the nearby counter, set a few old student-written essays ablaze, and dropped them into the bin to begin warming up the place a little.

Crope stood there for a few minutes, warming his hands by the fire. He wondered what the other professors at Oz U would say if they could see him now. No doubt they were all holed up in their mansions sipping hot cocoa by their fireplaces and taking electric heating and power for granted. He was beginning to grow angry again at the injustices of the world when he heard a noise that sounded like a cough coming from the bedroom. He turned his head toward the bedroom door and waited to see if he heard anything else. He didn't, but he decided to check it out anyway. Maybe Tibbett had gotten home already after all.

Sure enough, when Crope opened the door to the bedroom, he could see Tibbett curled up under the covers. To his surprise, Tibbett did not move at the sound of the opening door. As Crope stepped closer, he could see that Tibbett was asleep, and he was shivering. His favorite wig lay abandoned on the floor next to the bed, along with what must have been today's outfit. Despite the fact that it was only early evening, Tibbett was already in his warmest pajamas. Crope immediately began to worry. While both he and Tibbett had AIDS, Tibbett had had it longer and was more likely to contract an illness that could kill him. Crope nearly began to panic, worrying whether Tibbett had gotten sick.

He moved over and knelt down by Tibbett's side of the bed. "Angel?" he said, placing his hand on Tibbett's shoulder and lightly shaking him. "Wake up, angel. It's me."

Tibbett's eyes slowly fluttered open and focused on Crope. Upon recognition, his lips curled into a small, contented smile. "Sweetheart," he said quietly. "You're home."

"Yes, baby," said Crope. "I'm here." He stroked Tibbett's forehead and smiled when he saw Tibbett smile. "Are you alright?"

Tibbett nodded weakly. "I'm just tired," he said. "And cold," he added after a moment, shivering.

"You never started a fire," said Crope.

"I was too tired to think of it," Tibbett explained. "I didn't sleep well last night."

"I remember," said Crope. Tibbett had tossed and turned half the night, then had woken up from a nightmare not long after he had finally fallen asleep.

"Would you lay with me?" Tibbett asked. "It'll be warmer with two in the bed." Crope nodded, stood up, and moved around to the other side of the bed. He crawled underneath the covers and pulled Tibbett toward him.

"There," said Crope, wrapping his arms around Tibbett. "Just let me be your blanket – I'll keep you warm."

They lay like that for a long time. Crope heard Tibbett's breathing deepen, so he knew Tibbett was asleep again. He did not know how long after that he fell asleep as well – it could have been only a few minutes, or it could have been hours. All he knew was that suddenly he was awake again and looking at a terrified, shivering, wide-awake Tibbett.

"What is it?" Crope asked. He had heard Tibbett cry out, and he knew that something was wrong. As he looked at Tibbett's face, he quickly deduced what had woken his lover. "Another nightmare?" he asked.

Tibbett nodded, still looking quite petrified. His clothes were damp with cold sweat. "The same as last night," he said quietly. "I don't know why I keep dreaming about it – it was so long ago…"

Crope did not understand this, so he asked tentatively, "What happened?"

Tibbett looked away. He did not speak for a minute. Then, hesitantly, he said, "It was at the Philosophy Club… in Shiz."

"You went to Shiz?" Crope asked, surprised.

Tibbett shook his head. "No," he said. "I was just visiting. A friend suggested I go to the Philosophy Club there. I shouldn't have listened to him."

Crope knew about the Philosophy Club in Shiz, of course. He'd been there a few times. In fact, he wondered he might have gotten AIDS thanks to that place. But that was beside the point. "What happened at the club?" he asked.

"I'm not sure exactly," Tibbett admitted. "I can't remember much – I think they drugged me. I remember… a Tiger, I think, and maybe a woman… and lots of pain and people laughing at me." He paused, looking almost sick at the memory of it. Crope felt a sudden rush of anger and a desire to kick the shit out of whoever had done this to his boyfriend. "It was probably one of the worst things that's ever happened to me," Tibbett continued, "but I haven't had nightmares about it in years. I don't know why they've come back all of a sudden."

Crope didn't know why either. He wanted to give his lover advice, but he had none to give. He felt so helpless. So he did the only thing he could. He placed a tender kiss on Tibbett's forehead and pulled his boyfriend into his arms again. "They can't hurt you anymore, my angel," he whispered. "I won't let anyone hurt you – I promise."

Tibbett lay quietly for a while, until Crope was almost convinced he was asleep again. Then, in a low whisper so low Crope almost didn't hear it, he said, "I know." His lips curled into a contented smile once again, and Crope smiled as well. He watched as Tibbett drifted off to sleep. He briefly considered getting up to get some dinner for himself, but he decided against it almost immediately. Instead, he watched Tibbett sleep until his eyes grew too heavy to keep them open. Then he joined his lover in a nightmare-free sleep.

* * *

"Don't tell me you're leaving early again," said Chrissa. She stood beside Shell's vanity with her hands on her hips. It was several hours before closing time at the Cat Scratch Club. A month ago, Shell would never have left the club early unless ordered to do so. After all, a month ago, she hadn't had anything to go home to. That wasn't the case any longer.

"Yes, I'm leaving early again," Shell told Chrissa. She was too busy taking off her make-up to look up at her friend, but she knew without looking that Chrissa was not pleased with this decision. Shell and Chrissa had started working at the club around the same time, and they had become quite good friends. Unlike her sisters, Shell's personality was such that she tended to get along easily with other people. Chrissa, on the other hand, was not always good at getting along with others, and she had come to depend on Shell's presence to keep her grounded while at work. Therefore, she did not like it when Shell took off early like this.

"What is up with you?" Chrissa asked. "Before Lurlinemas, you _never_ went home early. Now suddenly you take off early almost every night. What's going on?"

Shell stopped fussing with her make-up, looked up at Chrissa, and grinned. "I've got a boyfriend," she said, and instantly, Chrissa's expression changed. Suddenly, she was excited rather than annoyed. Her eyes were wide and a grin split her face.

"Tell me _everything_," she demanded. So Shell did – the important things, at least. She told Chrissa who Fiyero was, how they'd met, how their relationship was going so far, and of course, what Fiyero looked like. As shallow as it seemed, this was the part that Chrissa was most interested in.

"A Winkie nobleman?" Chrissa asked. "With dark skin, blue tattoos, and everything?"

Shell nodded, grinning as she thought of him. "I swear, he's the most gorgeous man I've ever met."

"You are _so_ lucky," Chrissa said. She was obviously jealous of Shell, and Shell couldn't blame her.

"I am," Shell agreed. "I really am."

"Well, I can forgive you for leaving me here for a boy that gorgeous," said Chrissa. "Just don't make it a habit, alright? We need you here, too. You're the best dancer in the club."

Shell doubted that, but she didn't contradict Chrissa. She knew how to take a compliment. "The club got along just fine before I came, and it'll do fine after I leave," she said. "But I'll try not to make you suffer in my absence."

Chrissa didn't look completely happy with Shell's answer, but she said nothing. "I'd better get back," she said, motioning toward the door. "So I'll see you tomorrow night?"

Shell nodded. "I wouldn't miss it."

Chrissa smiled and disappeared back into the club, leaving Shell alone again. She returned to the task of cleaning off her make-up and getting things ready for the next night. All the while, she thought of Fiyero, and she couldn't help but smile.

When Shell finally arrived home, Fiyero greeted her with a kiss. "Well, good evening to you too, sir," she said as they parted. She looked him over and saw that he was wearing a button-down shirt – partially unbuttoned, of course, because he knew she liked to see how the pattern of blue diamonds on his face continued unbroken down his chest. She moved one hand to lightly touch one of the diamonds on his chest, and he shivered. She pressed a little harder, and he let out a very faint, low growl. She began to move her hands down his chest, past all the other blue diamonds, and as expected, he could take it no longer. He pinned her to a nearby wall and crushed his lips against hers. Their fingers fumbled as they removed articles of clothing. Then the night sky moved over her and all thoughts vanished.

Sometime later, they sat at Shell's small table to eat the dinner that Fiyero had prepared, which had now gone cold. But they didn't mind. She wore only his button-down shirt, and he wore only a pair of trousers. They ate in silence for a while, occasionally exchanging glances and blushing or smiling. It was Fiyero who did most of the blushing, of course; there was not much that could make Shell blush anymore.

When they _did_ start talking, it was, at first, about how the day had gone and how things were at the club. Fiyero didn't like to go to the club, even just to see her. Shell had asked him about that one evening.

"Having all those others around ruins it for me," he had said. "Besides, I don't like the look-but-don't-touch policy. It's all well and good for the other men, but I prefer to have you alone where I can give you the attention you _really_ deserve."

Tonight, Shell mentioned Chrissa and the conversation they had had about Fiyero. "She was really impressed, I think," said Shell. "Especially by your tattoos… and the fact that you're a noble."

Fiyero looked away. Shell knew by now that that he didn't like to be known as a noble. That was the way it was with most of their group of friends, she mused. Fiyero, a prince of the Arjiki tribe of the Vinkus; Glinda, the daughter of wealthy Gillikinese parents, and on her mother's side, an Arduenna of the Uplands; Boq, the son of the mayor of Rush Margins; she and Nessarose and Elphaba, the daughters of the wife of the governor of Munchkinland, if not of the governor himself. They had all come to the Emerald City to escape their respective heritages – to live as they pleased instead of the way their parents wanted them to live.

"I didn't say you were a prince," Shell reassured Fiyero. "Besides, I think Chrissa was more interested in your appearance than your nobility. And I must say, I quite agree with her." She lifted a hand and turned Fiyero's face toward her, then ran a hand along the blue diamonds on his cheek. "These are far more interesting to me than who your parents are."

Fiyero smiled again. Shell leaned in and kissed him. At first, it was just a simple kiss, but when Fiyero moved a hand to stroke the diamonds on _her_ face, Shell moaned and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. His hands moved to unbutton her shirt, while her hands ran over the diamonds on his chest. This time, they made it to the bed before Shell descended onto Fiyero to show him just how interesting she thought he was.

"Why do we even bother to make dinner?" Shell asked a while later. She and Fiyero were cleaning up what was left of the meal Fiyero had made. "You would think by now we'd have learned to just throw a sandwich or two together or something."

Fiyero shrugged. "It feels romantic to make dinner," he said. "Even if we barely eat any of it."

They were quiet for a few minutes as they tidied up Shell's apartment. When they finished, they settled onto the couch, Shell nestled into Fiyero's arms.

"Elphaba says that there are more restrictions on Animals every week," Shell said after a while. "She gets really worked up about it. Even Glinda can barely calm her down, according to what Nessa's told me."

"I'm not surprised," said Fiyero. "On either count. I remember your sister's short temper when it came to that sort of thing. Of course," he added, "I never got to witness Glinda calming her down. When I was there, any mention of Glinda just set her off."

Shell chuckled a bit at the memory. It hadn't been funny at all for Elphaba at the time – or for the rest of them – but it seemed funnier now, looking back at that week when she and her sisters and Fiyero had all lived together.

"I don't think you would _want_ to witness Glinda calming Elphaba down," Shell told Fiyero. "If what Nessa says is true, their calming-down exercises can get quite loud."

Fiyero looked down at Shell, a solemn expression on his face. "That sounds very interesting," he said, his voice serious. "I think I would like to see it sometime."

"You're disgusting," Shell said, turning slightly to hit his chest. "That's my sister and her girlfriend you're talking about."

"I'm kidding," Fiyero said quickly, holding his hands in the air as a sign of peace. "I promise, I'm kidding."

Shell gave him a hard look, then settled back into his arms and laid her head against his chest again. "Good," she said. "Because that really _would_ be disgusting if you weren't."

"I know," said Fiyero. His voice was quiet again. "Elphaba and Glinda are both beautiful, but I think one or both of them would try to kill me if I ever tried anything." Shell snickered at this, picturing how angry the two would be if Fiyero tried anything stupid. "Besides," Fiyero added, "I've got the most beautiful woman in the world lying right here in my arms. Lucky for me, she isn't a lesbian."

Shell laughed again. Fiyero sometimes said the sweetest things, but he almost always followed them up with a strange comment like that. "It _is_ lucky for you," she said. "Otherwise I'd be out there looking for someone with a few more curves and a little less cock."

"So I'm safe then?"

"Very," said Shell. "I like your cock very much."

"Well, that's good," said Fiyero. "I do hope that's not _all_ you like about me, though."

Shell playfully hit him again. "Of course not," she said. "I love you, you idiot."

She froze. That was the first time she had ever said that to Fiyero. But it only bothered her for a moment. Then she smiled, turned, and kissed him. "I love you," she repeated. She kissed him again and again, repeating the new phrase over and over, as though testing it on her tongue.

"I love you, too," said Fiyero at last, in between kisses and Shell's breathless remarks. As soon as he said it, Shell fell speechless. Hearing those words from his lips was all she needed to hear. She kissed him once more, long and deep, then lay back in his arms. She closed her eyes and let him surround her completely, content to stay forever in his embrace.

As she fell asleep, the last thing she heard was Fiyero's whisper: "I love you."

* * *

When Glinda had informed her earlier that evening that she had something she really wanted to show her, Elphaba had had her doubts, but had agreed to go along. She had been rather disconcerted when Glinda had insisted on driving but had refused to tell her where they were going. Elphaba had protested multiple times, but Glinda held out. She had no intention of telling Elphaba where they were headed. Finally, Elphaba settled back into her seat on the passenger's side of the car and reminded herself to breathe. There was no reason to be worried. This was Glinda, after all. As Glinda had asked, "What's the worst it could be?" Elphaba had immediately decided that the question was purely rhetorical and had forced herself not to answer.

Their drive through the Emerald City was longer than Elphaba would have expected. But she didn't really begin to worry until she started noticing that these buildings were getting bigger, nicer, and greener as they went along. This, Elphaba realized, was the upscale part of the city. It wasn't the business district, where she worked, or the poorer sections, where they and their friends lived. No, this was the really well-to-do section of the city – the section in which only the wealthiest and most important people lived. What in Oz were they doing here?

"Glinda…" she began, starting to worry. "Do you know where you're going?"

"Of course I do, silly," said Glinda. "We're almost there."

Elphaba wasn't sure what to think of this. She had never seen her girlfriend express any interest whatsoever in high society, even though that was how she had been raised. What could Glinda possibly want to show her that was all the way out here?

She kept silent for the rest of the ride and tried not to let Glinda notice how anxious she felt. Elphaba had come from a very influential family, but unlike Glinda, she had never been able to function at all in high society. She could get by in a professional setting, but the aristocratic world had never been kind to her – far from it, actually. Upper-class citizens were worse about her green skin than most, and they certainly wouldn't approve of her choice of romantic partners. She had no desire to get anywhere near them, but she would do it… for Glinda.

At last, the car stopped outside one of the gaudiest and greenest buildings Elphaba had ever seen, short of the Wizard's Palace. It looked like an apartment building, stretching up dozens of stories into the sky. "Come on," Glinda said, climbing out of the car. Elphaba stared up at the building for a minute, reluctant to move, but at another urging from Glinda, she opened the door and got out.

Elphaba followed Glinda up to the door of the building, where a doorman stood. He was entirely dressed in green, as was the custom in the Emerald City. When he saw them, the doorman looked wary and began to step forward. Elphaba hesitated for a moment, but Glinda marched straight up to him, unafraid.

"Who are you?" the doorman asked, standing between Glinda and the door, blocking her way.

"I am Glinda, formerly Galinda Arduenna of the Uplands," said Glinda. Her voice took on a formal, sophisticated tone that Elphaba had never heard in it before. She knew at once that this was her girlfriend's temporary reversion back to the high society mannerisms she had grown up with. "My mother owns a suite here, and I should like to enter. I have the key and identification, should you require them."

Elphaba blinked. They were visiting Glinda's mother's suite? She stared at Glinda in surprise, and the doorman did the same.

The shock wore off the doorman's face almost instantaneously, however, and he smoothly answered, "That will not be necessary, Miss Glinda. If you have the key, then are you, of course, free to go in."

Then he turned his gaze to Elphaba for the first time. The moment he saw her, he leapt backward and nearly cried out in surprise. Elphaba merely rolled her eyes. She had seen all this before; it was nothing new.

Before the doorman could say anything, Glinda calmly stepped in. "This is Elphaba Thropp, eldest daughter of the governor of Munchkinland," she said. Elphaba didn't like to be known for her supposed relation to a man that hated her, but her status was valuable in a place like this. "She will be accompanying me today."

The doorman was still staring at Elphaba and not listening to Glinda. Elphaba rolled her eyes again. "Would you be so kind as to open the doors for us," she asked. "Or at the very least, would you get out of the way so we can open them ourselves?"

"What? Oh!" said the doorman, tearing his eyes from Elphaba and rushing toward the door. He opened it hastily. "Here you are, ladies." Elphaba sensed a bit of hesitation in his voice as he called them 'ladies,' but she said nothing. Glinda looked and sounded very much like a lady; Elphaba, in her shirt and trousers, with her hair pulled back, and with her green skin, did not.

"Thank you very much, kind sir," said Glinda. "I shall be sure to put in a good word to my mother about you." She brushed past him into the building. Elphaba did the same, all while wondering whether Glinda even knew his name.

Once they were inside, Elphaba hoped that her girlfriend would stop and explain exactly why they were here. But Glinda proceeded to go directly to the elevator without so much as a glance in Elphaba's direction. Elphaba hurried after her – Glinda could really walk fast when she put her mind to it – and caught up with her just outside the closed elevator doors.

"Glinda, what…?" she began, but she stopped when Glinda put a finger to her lips.

"Not here," said Glinda. Elphaba looked around. There was no one else in sight except for a young man mopping one side of the floor. She couldn't possibly be worried about being overheard. But Glinda remained perfectly still, staring at the door as though willing it to open for her. When at last it did, a man with a top hat, briefcase, and newspaper stepped out. He tipped his hat once to Glinda, said "Good evening," and walked on past them. Then Glinda stepped into the elevator, closely followed by Elphaba. The doors shut, and Glinda pushed a button indicating that she wanted to go to the very top floor.

Once the elevator was moving, Elphaba turned to face Glinda. "An explanation, if you please," she said. She tried to make her voice as firm and final as possible, so that Glinda would know she needed to answer.

Glinda shifted and turned to look at Elphaba. "You already know, I'm sure, that my parents – my mother especially – are very wealthy and important." Elphaba nodded, confirming that she did indeed know that. "Well, when I decided to move to the Emerald City, my mother insisted on buying a place for me to stay. She bought a suite here in her name and insisted I use it as my residence here in the city."

"And does she know that you _don't_ live here?" Elphaba asked.

Glinda hesitated, biting her lips. Then slowly, she shook her head. "Not exactly," she admitted. "I tried to tell them that I don't _want_ to live here, but they wouldn't listen. They wouldn't let me leave home until I agreed to stay here."

"I see," said Elphaba. She looked up at the numbers on the elevator wall and saw that they were almost at the top. "So your mother and father believe you live here, but you never have. You live with Nessa and I instead."

Glinda nodded. "That's right," she said. She still sounded formal. This place seemed to have a strange effect on her.

Elphaba decided not to ask whether Glinda's parents knew anything about _her_, or the nature of her relationship with their daughter. She already knew the answer to that. If they didn't even know where Glinda was really living, there was no possibility that she had ever mentioned to them that she was living with a woman – a green woman, at that.

A bell dinged, indicating that they had reached the top at last. The door opened to reveal a wide hallway. Glinda hesitated a moment, then stepped out into the hallway. Elphaba paused longer than her girlfriend, but finally, reluctantly, she followed her. Glinda led her down the hallway. She walked past door after door. At each one, Elphaba expected her to stop, but she never did.

As they reached the last few doors, Glinda paused. She motioned to a door on the right. "That's the one," she said. Then, to Elphaba's surprise, she kept walking without another glance at the door.

Elphaba stopped. She turned to the look at the door that Glinda had pointed to, then looked at Glinda again. If this was the apartment, then where was Glinda going?

Glinda walked to the end of the hall and stopped by a door on the left. She looked back at Elphaba, who was still standing outside the apartment door. "Elphie, are you coming?"

"Where are we going?" Elphaba asked.

In response, Glinda opened the door beside her to reveal a flight of stairs. "Up," she said. She motioned for Elphaba to come, and she did. The green woman stepped past her blonde girlfriend and went through the door and up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, there was another door. Elphaba pushed it open and stepped through.

They were on the roof, Elphaba realized almost at once. The sky was beginning to darken as night drew closer. The sounds of the city echoed in her ears. She stepped forward to let Glinda come up behind her. Elphaba watched as the blonde woman moved toward the edge of the building. She would have moved too, but she was mesmerized by the way Glinda looked in the light of the dying day. Her hair glistened in the light, and when she turned, her eyes were sparkling.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked. Elphaba didn't answer. She didn't even hear. "Are you alright?"

Elphaba jerked out of her reverie. "What?" she asked. She knew Glinda had spoken, but had no idea what she had said.

Glinda chuckled and shook her head. Her hair blew about in the wind. "You're staring," she said.

Elphaba nearly blushed. "Sorry," she said.

"Don't apologize," Glinda told her, smiling. She walked toward Elphaba, took one green hand in her own, and moved it up to her face. "You can stare all you want to." Glinda's cheek was soft and smooth, and even the strange contrast between green and white skin no longer bothered Elphaba. In fact, she found it rather exhilarating.

Glinda stood up on her toes and kissed Elphaba full on the mouth. When she pulled away, Elphaba was left breathless. "But we're not here so you can stare at me," Glinda said. "I was rather hoping you might like to look at something else." She ran a hand along Elphaba's cheek, then stepped away, smiling mischievously. Elphaba stood there for a moment, stunned, until Glinda waved her over to the side of the building.

As she approached, Elphaba saw the Emerald City open up before her. To her right, the Palace's emeralds and golden dome glittered in the sun. All around, the hundreds and hundreds of buildings that made up the city were visible. Looking down, she could barely make out cars and crowds of people milling about on the city streets. Looking up, the sky was pink and red and orange and darkening as the sun set. Looking out, she could see past the borders of the city and into the countryside of the center of Oz.

"This is my favorite place in Oz," Glinda said quietly, stepping up to stand by Elphaba, who turned to look at her. "It's like you can see all of Oz from here."

"It _is_ beautiful," Elphaba admitted. She stared out toward the east – toward Munchkinland, her childhood home. She had not been there in a long time. She did not wish to return, but a part of her wished she could live outside the Emerald City again.

"There's Gillikin," Glinda said, pointing north. Elphaba looked in that direction and stared for a moment. Then she turned back to Glinda as she lowered her hand again. Her face was sad as she stared out toward her homeland.

"What is it?" Elphaba asked.

"It's nothing," Glinda answered, tearing her eyes away and looking back at Elphaba. "I'm just a little homesick, that's all. I haven't been back home in ages. I know you don't understand, but…" She trailed off, perhaps expecting Elphaba to interrupt her, to contradict her. But Elphaba said nothing. She supposed Glinda was right, for the most part. Elphaba had never really felt homesick – at least, not for the home she'd grown up in. She wasn't sure what it was like to have a home far away to which she longed to return.

Instead of responding out loud, Elphaba pulled Glinda toward her and wrapped her arms around her. Glinda leaned her head back against Elphaba's shoulder and sighed. "I'm so happy you're here, Elphie," she said quietly. "I've never showed this place to anyone before."

"Really?" Elphaba asked, surprised. She stared down into Glinda's eyes as the other woman looked up at her. "Not even Boq?"

Glinda shook her head slightly. "Definitely not Boq. It's took special a place to share with Boq."

The implications of that statement were not lost on Elphaba. She stared at Glinda, a mixture of surprise and awe on her face. Glinda considered _her_ – a green-skinned, short-tempered, overly suspicious, beautifully tragic woman – to be worthy of her favorite place in all of Oz? Elphaba couldn't understand it.

"But…" she began, suddenly lost for words. "Why me?"

Glinda turned to face Elphaba, her blue eyes meeting brown ones. "Because I love you, silly," she said. "Do you really need another reason?"

Elphaba shook her head and leaned down to kiss her lover over and over again. "No, my sweet," she answered in between kisses. "That one will do."

This, Elphaba decided as she continued to show Glinda how much she loved her, was now _her_ favorite place in Oz, too.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you all for sticking with this story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. For those of you who are waiting for some Boq/Nessa action, you won't have to wait much longer. This chapter has a little Boq/Nessa action, but I'm purposely taking this particular relationship slow. All of the other relationships happened really fast, so Boq and Nessa will go a little slower, for a change of pace. But never fear, there will be Bessa action coming up soon. **

**

* * *

**

11.

"I just don't get it," said Nessarose. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, Nessie, there's nothing wrong with you," said Elphaba, clutching her sister's hand as she knelt beside her.

"It's Boq that's got the problem," said Glinda. She stood behind Elphaba, one hand on the green woman's shoulder. "It took him _months_ to ask me out."

"Maybe he doesn't like me," Nessa said quietly.

"Nonsense!" said Glinda. "He likes you as much as he ever liked me."

Nessa expected Elphaba to comment on that, but she didn't. "He _does_ like you, Nessa," Elphaba said, apparently ignoring Glinda's comment altogether. "He's just shy – that's all."

Nessarose huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "We've known each other for a month and a half," she said. "If he liked me, he would have said something by now."

"Not necessarily," said Glinda. "Like I said, it took him ten months to ask me out, and we were living together!"

This time, Elphaba turned to look up at Glinda, irritated. "Do you really have to keep turning the conversation back to you?" she demanded.

Glinda put her hands on her hips. "I'm not talking about _me_," she argued. "I'm talking about _Boq_."

"I don't think that telling Nessa how much Boq liked you is going to help anything," said Elphaba, rising to her full height so that she towered over Glinda.

But Glinda was not intimidated by this, as far as Nessa could see. Stretching herself to _her_ full height, Glinda said, "I'm _trying_ to be encouraging!"

Elphaba started to argue back, but Nessarose quickly interrupted. She knew all too well how these conversations went, and she was not in the mood to deal with an argument right now, especially when it indirectly involved her. "Elphaba, stop it!" She shouted to make herself heard. Elphaba stopped mid-sentence and both women turned back to Nessa. "This isn't helping," Nessa told him. "Just stop fighting, please. I can't take any more of this."

She began to wheel herself away, frustrated. As expected, Elphaba was there in an instant. "Nessie, I'm sorry," she said, suddenly switching back to her protective sister mode. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Nessa said as Elphaba took her hand again. "I just don't like it when you fight."

Glinda and Elphaba exchanged looks. "We're sorry, Nessa," said Glinda. "We don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Nessa thought of telling her that it wasn't her own discomfort that made her hate their fights, but she decided not to. She didn't like the fact that her sister and her girlfriend fought all the time, but nothing she could say could change who they were. As long as Elphaba was Elphaba and Glinda was Glinda, there would be conflict.

"It's okay," Nessa finally settled on saying. Elphaba looked relieved at Nessa's words. Honestly, Elphaba let Nessarose have so much power over her mood and actions. It had pleased Nessa as a child, but now it was rather annoying.

"So what _are_ we going to do about Boq?" Glinda asked, turning the conversation back to its original topic.

"Maybe I could talk to him," Elphaba suggested. "If all he needs is a little encouragement, maybe I can give it to him."

Nessa looked horrified. "Oh, Elphaba, don't," she said quickly. "Please don't do that. I want him to ask me on his own."

"I think Elphaba's right, Nessa," said Glinda. "All she'll do is encouragerize him a little."

"I don't _want_ Elphaba to encourage him," Nessa protested. "If he can't find the courage to ask, then… then I don't want him to ask at all!"

Well, that wasn't _completely_ true. She _did_ want Boq to ask, whether he was acting alone or under the influence of encouragement; she just didn't want to be embarrassed. If Elphaba or Glinda did the encouraging instead of her, what would that say about her own courage? No, if anyone was going to talk to Boq, it would be her… and she wasn't so sure she could do that.

"Alright," said Elphaba. "I won't say anything to him."

"Thank you," said Nessa, temporarily changing her mind on how she felt about the effect she had on Elphaba. Sometimes it could be quite useful.

* * *

_Have you ever been backed into a corner, trapped by a bunch of people all staring at you, and the walls seem to be getting smaller at the same time? It's not a very good analogy, I realize – I've gotten significantly worse at coming up with analogies since the Tango: Galinda incident – but that's where I am… right now._

_It's the day before Valentine's Day. In case you weren't aware, it's a holiday the Wizard came up with – hence the strange name and the fact that it's mostly celebrated in the Emerald City. According to the story, back wherever the Wizard came from, it was holiday to celebrate love and lovers. I used like the idea alright, especially when I had a girlfriend. Now, however, I'm not so sure… especially because I'm pretty sure I'm falling for Nessa, but I haven't had the guts to ask her out yet._

_Of course, Fiyero and Crope won't let the subject drop. To make matters worse, Shell and Tibbett are in on it now, too. Tibbett's not so bad, usually, but Shell's almost worse than Fiyero or Crope – which it saying a lot. Maybe it's partly because she's Nessa's sister. _

_Just get me out of here. Please._

_

* * *

_

"So, Boq, when are you going to ask out Nessa?" Shell asked off-handedly. For once, she and Fiyero were not in her apartment. Boq suspected it had something to do with Crope and Tibbett's presence there too. Fiyero and Shell were cuddled up on the couch, and Tibbett sat next to them. Crope, meanwhile, had reclaimed his favorite chair. Boq had been cleaning up in the kitchen area, effectively ignoring the ongoing conversation between his four friends. That is, until Shell spoke up.

"What?" Boq asked, too shock to really answer. He wasn't sure he had even heard her correctly.

Instantly, all eyes were on him. Shell partially extracted herself from Fiyero's grasp so she could sit up and look at Boq. "I said, when are you planning on asking my sister out?" she repeated.

Boq cursed whatever higher power had determined that he would be a Munchkin. At the moment, he felt even smaller than usual. It didn't help that all of his closest friends' attention was entirely focused on _him_. He wondered whether he was actually _shrinking_ under their gate, or whether it was all in his head. He gulped. "I, uh, hadn't naturally, well, decided anything… yet," she stammered.

"Well, what are you waiting for, boy?" asked Crope, laughing a little. "An invitation?"

"No, I -"

"Not everyone's gonna be as patient as Glinda," said Fiyero. "Hell, _I_ wouldn't be as Glinda. Ten months is _way_ too long to wait, my friend."

"Sweetie, I think that cup's clean now," said Tibbett.

Boq looked down at his hands and realized that he had been nervously scrubbing this one cup for the last few minutes. His cheeks turned red and he hastily sat the cup down on the nearby counter.

"Look," he said, summoning up enough courage as he could muster, "I'm not afraid to ask her. I'm just waiting for the right time."

"That's what you said about Glinda," Fiyero commented.

"And the 'right time' was ten months later," Crope added.

"Would you please stop bringing up Glinda?" Boq asked. "Glinda was Glinda – she was too… _good_ for a Munchkin like me to ask out."

"And Nessa isn't good?" Shell asked, raising an eyebrow.

Boq's face turned red as he realized his blunder. "No… that's not what I meant…" he stammered. "Of _course_ Nessa is good, it's just… she's well, _different_." He sounded like an idiot, and he knew it.

"Is that supposed to be a comment on my sister's disability?" Shell asked. She was probably only _acting_ offended to throw Boq off. It was working. "You know, we have a lot of 'differences' in our family, and I don't take kindly to that tone you're using about them."

"I wasn't saying that!" Boq argued back, trying to redeem himself. "I just meant…" He stopped and groaned in frustration. Why couldn't he get this out? Why wouldn't they believe him? "I really like Nessa, and I don't want to ruin things by asking too soon."

"You'll ruin things even more if you ask too late," said Crope. "Look what happened with Glinda. Maybe if you'd asked her out sooner, she wouldn't have been so quick to run off with Elphaba."

Boq wanted to throw something. Before he realized what was happening, the cup was back in his hand and was flying across the room, smashing into tiny pieces against the wall. Suddenly, all joking and teasing ceased, and concern (or was it fear?) filled his friends' eyes. Boq didn't care; he was seething. How _dare_ they keep bringing up Glinda? Why did they feel the need to give voice to the same doubts that had been going through his mind when Glinda had left him? Why were they making a point of antagonizing him like this? He wouldn't stand for it anymore.

"I don't want to hear any more about Glinda," he said. His voice was quiet, but deadly. "Not one more word, do you understand? That ship has sailed, and the next one will arrive when _I_ decide it's the right time. Got it?"

No one responded. They were too stunned by Boq's uncharacteristic outburst to say a word.

"I'm going to get a drink," Boq said after a minute or two of silence. He began to move toward the door.

"Boq?"

Boq stopped, but didn't turn, at the sound of Crope's voice. "What?"

"We'll see you at the Life later, right?"

Boq paused. "Sure," he said finally. Then, still angry, he walked out the door and shut it roughly behind him.

* * *

"Miss Thropp, you have another call."

Elphaba groaned and rolled her eyes. _Not again_, she thought. The phone had been ringing off the hook all morning, and she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Her neck ached because she had fallen asleep at her desk, and she had a headache from the coffee she had had to drink to stay awake during her meeting early this morning. Her presentation on Animal rights had not gone nearly as well as she would have liked, and to top it all off, she hadn't eaten a thing all day, and she was starving. She was _not_ in the mood to take any more phone calls right now.

But her strong work ethic won out in the end, despite her body's protests. "Who is it?" she called out to the other room, where Norra, her new assistant – they never stayed very long – sat at her desk.

"She says her name is Glinda Arduenna, Miss Thropp," Norra called back. "She claims to be your girlfriend. Should I tell her you're busy?"

"No, Norra, put her through," said Elphaba. Part of her was eager to hear her lover's voice, but the other part was too tired and grumpy to do anything at all, let alone talk to a no-doubt giddy and bouncy blonde. Still, she didn't think it was a good idea to subject Norra to Glinda – or was it really the other way around? "And Norra," Elphaba added quickly, cutting off _that_ particular train of thought, "don't call me Miss Thropp. Call me Elphaba – or _Miss_ Elphaba, if you must – but don't use my last name."

"Of course… Miss Elphaba," said Norra, in a voice that was polite, but not at all genuine.

Elphaba didn't have time to dwell on this. Momentarily, her own phone rang, and she picked it up. "Hey, honeybear, what's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you were," came Glinda's voice from the other end. "You didn't seem so good this morning. How's your day been?"

"Not good," Elphaba answered honestly. "Thank the Unnamed God it's almost over."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Elphie," said Glinda. "I should have insisted you come to bed instead of letting you fall asleep at that desk of yours last night."

"It wasn't your fault. I had lots of work to do."

"That's no excuse," Glinda insisted. "What kind of woman lets her girlfriend fall asleep at her desk?"

"The kind that falls asleep first," Elphaba answered.

There was a short pause before Glinda continued. "Anyway, pookie, Jill's invited me to go shopping with her this afternoon, and I told her I would. Is that alright? I promise I won't go over my allotted spending money for the month."

Elphaba felt the muscles in her stomach tighten. Glinda had certainly been spending a lot of time with Jill lately. Elphaba was about to say so, but she remembered how angry Glinda got when she got suspicious, and she was in no mood to make Glinda angry, so she held her tongue. _It's just a shopping trip_, she reminded herself. _You wouldn't want to go anyway._

"It's fine with me," she said, as genuinely as possible.

"Oh, thank you, Elphie!" Glinda squealed. "I might not be back in time for dinner, but that will give you and Nessa a night alone, right?"

"Yes, it will," said Elphaba. Surprisingly enough, that didn't make her feel any better. Dinner alone with Nessarose wasn't all it was cut out to be… especially when her girlfriend was out eating dinner with some model. Elphaba pushed that thought out of her head immediately. She needed to at least _try_ to get over this fear.

"Alright, well, I'll see you tonight," said Glinda. "Love you, pookie!"

"I love you too," Elphaba whispered, and a moment later, the line went dead. She hung up the phone and let herself slump forward onto the desk. She needed some food… and a drink.

She got both about an hour later, once she had finally managed to escape the office and had made her way to the Life Café. This time of day, the Life was nearly deserted. Elphaba dropped her things next to a bar stool and sat down before ordering a cold beer and some fries.

About halfway through the fries, someone came to sit on the stool beside her. "I'll have a beer, please," a familiar voice said to the bartender, who swept away to fetch the drink.

Elphaba turned to look at Boq. "Hey, Elphaba," he said. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"I could say the same."

"Bad day?"

"You have no idea."

The bartender returned and handed Boq a full mug of beer. "Thanks," said Boq, and the bartender left them alone.

"You?" Elphaba asked.

"Not too bad, I guess," Boq replied. He took a swig from his mug of beer. "Yero and Shell were at the loft today. Crope and Tibbett came too."

"Oh?" said Elphaba, faintly interested. "How are they?"

"Fine." Boq took another drink, then sat stiffly, as though he wanted to say something. "They seemed intent on bullying me today."

"What makes you say that?"

Boq looked at her. "Generally I consider backing someone into a wall and getting after him to be bullying."

"That depends," said Elphaba. "It might just be peer pressure."

"I'd still call it bullying."

"What were they getting after you for?"

Boq didn't answer right away. "Nothing," he finally answered.

Elphaba didn't believe him for a moment, and she told him so. "You said they were getting after you. Tell me why."

"I never said anything about them getting after me," Boq argued.

"You said they were bullying you, and that bullying includes being gotten after. That implies they were getting after you for something, and I want to know what it is."

"Implications aren't facts, Miss Elphaba," Boq said angrily. His tone and the use of the honorific shut Elphaba up for a moment. But Boq's anger faded quickly. He put the mug down on the counter and looked away from her. "Besides, it's none of your business," he added in a whisper so low that Elphaba barely heard it.

She decided to act as though she hadn't heard it, since Boq was so obviously opposed to telling her whatever it was. Instead, she took another swig of her beer, which was rapidly growing warm.

The pair sat in silence for a while. They sipped their beers and got refills when the mugs were empty. Slowly, the Life Café began to fill up with people, and the near silence was soon filled with chattering and laughter. No one came to sit beside Boq and Elphaba at the bar, though plenty of calls for wine and beer could be heard throughout the café. Elphaba continued to sip at her beer, not wanting to get drunk, but eager to stop thinking – and worrying – about Glinda for a little while.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before Boq suddenly spoke again. "They wanted to know why I haven't asked Nessarose out yet," he said quietly, apparently unable to keep it to himself any longer.

Elphaba wasn't really surprised. After all, she and Nessa and Glinda had been wondering the same thing. She would have said as much, but she was reminded of her promise to Nessa, and reluctantly kept her mouth shut.

"I tried to tell them that I haven't found the right time just yet," Boq went on. "But they wouldn't listen."

Elphaba tried to think of something to say that wouldn't break her promise to Nessa. "Timing _is_ important," she said finally.

"_I_ think so," Boq agreed.

"But you know, I think she'll say yes, no matter when you ask."

"Really?" Boq's eyebrows lifted in surprise and excitement. "Do you really think so? Well, of course, you would know – she's _your_ sister, after all."

"That she is," said Elphaba. _Never mind that I don't understand the way she thinks half the time_. She didn't say that to Boq, though. He seemed to be doing a fine job encouraging himself, with only minimal input from her, and she wasn't about to ruin it.

Boq looked infinitely happier now than he had looked when he came in, and Elphaba knew it wasn't just because of the alcohol – though that might have had something to do with it. "Oh, Oz, I feel so much better now," he said, smiling, obviously relieved. "Thanks, Elphaba."

"Don't mention it," said Elphaba. "At least, not to Nessa, if you please."

Boq looked confused. "Why…?"

"Let's just say I promised Nessa I wouldn't give you any encouragement in this matter."

Boq stared at her for a moment, obviously still a little confused. "Whatever you say." He took another drink and the two of them lapsed back into silence. But this time, Boq's silence was more cheerful, while Elphaba barely felt better at all. She was beginning to feel like this happened far too often when she and Boq got together. It would be nice, she decided, if one of these times, Boq didn't leave feeling great while she ended up feeling lousy.

* * *

After a while, their other friends began to arrive. Crope and Tibbett were first, arriving not long after Boq and Elphaba had fallen silent again. Elphaba noticed that Boq shied away from them at first, until it was obvious they weren't going to bring up the subject of Nessarose again. He was still a little wary, and to Elphaba's surprise, the two of them looked at him with an almost guilty expression. Nevertheless, he began talking to them again, so that was a start. Elphaba, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood to be social, and Tibbett noticed.

"Bad day, sweetie?" she asked, while Crope was busy talking to Boq.

"Just a bit," she answered, taking another sip of beer to emphasize her point.

Tibbett put her hand on Elphaba's shoulder. She might have hugged someone else, but Tibbett had learned that Elphaba didn't care much for hugs. Elphaba tolerated them from Glinda, since she loved the woman so much, and from Nessarose and Shell, at times, but she refused to accept them from anyone else. Hugs just felt strange to her, since she had never been given them as a child. She wasn't an overly sentimental person, anyway.

"Hey, why don't we move to a bigger table?" Crope suggested, apparently finished with his conversation with Boq. "I know Yero and Shell are coming – are Nessa and Glinda coming, Elphaba?"

"I'm not sure," said Elphaba, realizing that she had completely forgotten about Nessa. She suddenly felt the urge to kick herself. "Glinda went shopping with… with a friend." Just thinking about Jill made her ill again; she couldn't begin to say the name. "And I came here right after work – I think Nessa's _still_ at work."

"Can she get home?" Boq asked, obviously concerned.

Elphaba nodded. "She can get to and from work by herself just fine. But I don't think she can get _here_ from there on her own – at least, not in time to have dinner with us."

"I'll go get her," Boq offered eagerly. He quickly stood up and made to get his coat, but Elphaba motioned for him to sit.

"Let me call her first," she said. She dug through her briefcase to find her cell phone. "Just give me a minute."

Boq didn't protest, so Elphaba punched in Nessa's cell phone number. The phone rang a few times before it clicked and Nessa answered. "Elphaba?"

"Hey, Nessa," said Elphaba. "Are you at work?"

"I'm on my way home. Why?"

"I'm at the Life Café right now. A group of us is getting together to have dinner. Do you want to come?"

There was a pause. "Is Boq there?" Nessa asked finally.

"Yes," Elphaba replied. "Everybody will be here but Glinda, unless she finishes her shopping early."

"Glinda went shopping?"

"Is that really a surprise?" Elphaba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Nessa laughed. "I guess not. Did she go by herself, or…?"

"With Jill," Elphaba finished for her.

"Oh," said Nessarose. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Elphaba said firmly, ignoring the looks Crope and Boq and Tibbett were giving her.

Nessa didn't answer for a minute, then said, unconvincingly, "Okay, as long as you're alright. Do you need me to come down there?"

"I was the one inviting _you_."

"Well, if you don't need me…"

"I _don't_ need you," Elphaba insisted. "I was just calling to see if you wanted to join us. That's all." She had to force herself not to raise her voice. Nessa was being very frustrating, but she had no desire to let her other friends know exactly how she was feeling, especially since she herself was sure what she was feeling right now.

"Fine," said Nessarose, still sounding unconvinced by Elphaba's words. It was not the first time Elphaba wished she didn't have sisters who knew her so well. "I'd like to come. Will you be the one to pick me up, or are you going to stay stubborn and send somebody else?"

Elphaba took a deep breath and tried to relax. "I think I'll be stubborn," she responded calmly. "Boq volunteered to pick you up, and I think he might explode if I don't let him." As expected, Boq didn't look too pleased with that last comment, but at the moment, Elphaba didn't really care. Let him be offended; she was speaking the truth.

"Fine," said Nessa. "I'll meet him at home in a few minutes."

"I'll tell him."

"See you soon, Elphaba."

"Good-bye, Nessa," Elphaba replied, shutting off her phone a moment later. She turned to Boq. "She'll meet you at our apartment," she told him. "You know where that is?"

"Yeah," said Boq. "I've brought Nessa home a few times."

"Good," said Elphaba. "Then go fetch."

Boq didn't look pleased with this comment either, but he said nothing as he grabbed his jacket and moved away from them.

Once he had gone, Crope said, "The poor kid _must_ like Nessa a lot to put up with _you_, Elphie."

"I don't appreciate the implication, Crope," said Elphaba, now thoroughly annoyed. "And don't call me Elphie."

* * *

When Glinda arrived back at the apartment, after Jill had dropped her off and they'd said their good-byes, Nessarose and Elphaba were nowhere to be found. Elphie's briefcase was not in their room, so Glinda suspected she hadn't come home from work. In the kitchen, she discovered a note from Nessa that confirmed her suspicion. The group, it seemed, was getting together at the Life, and Glinda was invited to come along at her leisure.

Suddenly Glinda regretted sending Jill away so quickly. She would have enjoyed a ride to the Life. But as it was, she would have to walk. Stepping outside, she pulled her pink coat more tightly around her and prayed a silent prayer of gratitude that it wasn't snowing, at least. She hurried through the bustling streets in the direction of the café, hoping she wouldn't be too late to see everyone.

By the time she made it to the Life Café, Glinda was freezing; her teeth were chattering to prove it. Pushing open the door to the café, she felt a blast of warm air, and she sighed with relief. Inside, the place was crowded, as usual. There was a myriad of smells, but the smell of fries and beer dominated all others by far. In the corner, Fiyero was playing the guitar, though Glinda could not hear it over the rest of the sounds in the place. Shell, who stood next to Fiyero, seemed to be enjoying it, at least. It made Glinda smile to see the two of them so happy together. They both deserved it.

Scanning the room, Glinda quickly found the rest of her friends. The easiest to spot was Elphaba, of course, thanks to that beautiful emerald skin. Crope and Tibbett were feeding each other food – they were nearly finished with dinner by now – and were making eyes at each other, so much that even Glinda, who considered herself to be a hopeless romantic, couldn't look at them for long. Boq and Nessarose were chatting amicably, though the slight awkwardness that usually existed between them was still there – a product of Boq's failure thus far to ask Nessa on a date. Meanwhile, Glinda noticed that Nessa was sitting farther away from Elphaba than usual. Glinda could practically feel the tension between the sisters, even from this far away, and she was perplexed. Elphaba and Nessa's relationship had always seemed strange to her, but she had never seen this much outright tension between them before.

Of course, one look at Elphaba told Glinda that something was wrong. Elphaba was never outwardly giddy, by any means, but she normally didn't look this sullen, either. _She's had a bad day_, Glinda thought. _Maybe I should have come home earlier_. Glinda didn't like seeing Elphaba like this. She would have to be extra gentle with her words, and she supposed a night of love-making would be required to help Elphaba feel better.

Glinda carefully made her way through the crowd, heading for the table at which her friends were seated. As she approached, it was Crope and Tibbett who noticed her first. "There she is," said Crope, grinning at her. "Our little diva has arrived at last." Elphaba looked up in time to see Glinda reach the table. Her expression was frustratingly unreadable. Glinda wasn't sure how Elphie did that, but she wished she wouldn't.

"Hey, lover boy!" Crope called out, turning toward Fiyero, "get your girlfriend and your guitar-playing ass over here! Glinda's here!"

Fiyero looked over at them, but it took him a moment to register Crope's words. Then he saw Glinda, and he understood. While he put his guitar away, Shell made her way back to the table and greeted Glinda with a hug. "I heard you went shopping," she said as she pulled away. "What'd you get?"

"Now now," said Crope, before Glinda could say a word. "Don't get Glinny started on a shopping story – we'll be here all night."

Glinda gave him her best glare, both for the remark and for the nickname. Then she turned back to Shell, unable to be really mad. "I'll show you everything tomorrow, if you want to stop by," she promised. Shell nodded, looking excited at the proposition. "And you," Glinda added, turning to Elphaba, "don't you grin at me. Shopping is a serious matter."

The small grin that had appeared on Elphaba's face after Crope's comment widened. "Of course it is, _Glinny dear_," she said, playfully mocking Glinda.

Glinda decided not to respond to this. She was fighting a losing battle on this one; shopping was one of those subjects Elphaba simply could not, and would not, ever understand. So instead, she turned back to Crope. "Were you all waiting for me?" she asked. "I see you've all finished dinner already." She glanced down at the mostly-empty plates around the table.

"Crope has something he wants to tell us," said Fiyero, stepping up to put his arms around Shell. "He wouldn't say a word 'til you got here."

"We were starting to worry you wouldn't show," Shell added.

"Well, I'm here now," said Glinda. "What is it?"

Crope stood up, looking as though he were about to make a big announcement. "Sit down," he told Glinda, Fiyero, and Shell. Shell and Yero settled into the nearest chair, leaving Glinda to find her way to the chair by Elphaba. On her way over, she leaned in and planted a quick kiss to Elphaba's forehead. Elphaba barely reacted.

Then Glinda's eyes went back to Crope. "So?" she asked. "What's the news?"

Crope smiled. "Tomorrow night," he began, using a distinctly dramatic voice for effect, "the Wizard is hosting a Valentine's Day ball at the Ozdust Ballroom in Shiz."

Everyone stared at him blankly, unsure of how to respond. Crope looked like he expected them all to be excited, but not even Glinda was sure why.

"Well, isn't that wonderful," Elphaba said at last, breaking the silence with one of her characteristic sarcastic comments. "Why are you telling _us_?"

"Is it just for students, since it's up by the university?" Shell asked.

Crope shook his head quickly. "No, no, it's for adults," he answered. "The students are invited too, of course, but that's not the point."

"Then what _is_ the point?" Elphaba demanded testily.

"Elphaba, be nice," Glinda said, shocked by how mean Elphie was being to Crope.

Both Elphaba and Crope seemed not to notice Glinda's comment. "The point, Miss Elphaba," said Crope, deliberately using the honorific, "is that, as a member of the faculty of Oz University, I'm officially inviting you all to come. I have to be there anyway, to help represent our university at Shiz…" He didn't look very happy with this idea. "…and I'd really appreciate it if I had my friends there with me."

"I'll come," said Boq. Crope smiled at him.

"Hell, I'm in," said Shell. "Sounds like fun. I've never been up to Shiz. What do you think, Yero?"

"Sure, I'll go," Fiyero replied, shrugging. "I'm up for anything."

Glinda couldn't help but smile a little at Fiyero's answer. She remembered how hard the last year had been on the poor boy. Last Valentine's Day, he had been a step away from killing himself. Now he was "up for anything." That made Glinda very happy.

"I'd love to come, Crope," Glinda said. "I'm sure Nessa and Elphie will come too, won't you?" She turned to look at her girlfriend's sister first, since Nessa was more likely to say yes, and if Nessa said yes, then Elphaba would be more willing to drag herself along.

"Of course," said Nessa, to Glinda's satisfaction. "If it'll mean that much to Crope, I'll be there."

They all turned their attention to Elphaba, then, but the green woman didn't respond. Glinda was not sure what had put Elphaba in such a foul mood, but it was beginning to get on Glinda's nerves. Nevertheless, she kept her face bright and cheery. "Elphie? You will come, won't you, pookie?"

"I don't see why I should," said Elphaba. She ignored the others and looked straight at Glinda. "I've never had any fun at balls. They're just… well, cultish _social gatherings_, if you ask me." The way she practically spit the words "social gatherings" emphasized her point.

"Well, if you won't go for Crope, then do it for me," Glinda insisted. "It'll be more fun if you go with me."

Elphaba looked as though she highly doubted that. "I don't know, Glinda…"

"Please, pookie, for me," said Glinda, giving Elphaba her best pout.

Elphaba tried to look away, to avoid seeing the look on Glinda's face, but as it usually did, Glinda's pouting worked. "Oh, don't look at me like that," she said finally. "I'll go – but just this once."

That was much as Glinda could ask for. Delighted, she threw her arms around the green woman and kissed her. "Oh, thank you, Elphie," she said, beaming. "We'll have so much fun!"

The look on Elphaba's face said that she did not agree with Glinda's statement, but Glinda didn't care. Elphaba _was_ going to have fun at the ball; Glinda would make certain of that. As long as they were all together, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

Boq couldn't bring himself to look at Nessarose once Crope had introduced the idea of a ball. He felt a particularly strong urge to glance in her direction, but at the same time, he was too afraid to do it. Perhaps tonight was the night to ask her out – in fact, he was quite sure of it – but he couldn't do it _now_, in front of everyone, especially right after his outburst earlier. They were sure to tease him to no end, anyway; he didn't feel especially inclined to give them more fodder from which to do it.

It felt like forever before Shell informed them that she was late for work, and so she and Fiyero took off. Crope and Tibbett followed suit soon afterward, leaving Boq alone with Glinda, Elphaba, and Nessarose. He could sense that Glinda and Elphaba were itching to leave, though probably for different reasons. Once they left, Nessa would have to go, too; she needed them to drive her home. He wasn't going to get a better opportunity than this. So he took a deep breath, told himself to calm down and just do it, and said, "Nessa, can I talk to you for a minute?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elphaba's eyebrows raise and Glinda's eyes widen slightly, but he tried to ignore them. It was hard enough getting himself to meet Nessa's eyes without worrying about _them_. "Alone," he added, deciding the green woman and the blonde woman needed to hear it.

Nessarose cocked her head, gazing at him, for a moment, as though trying to figure out what he wanted to say just by looking at him. Knowing her, she could probably do it, too. "Sure," she said finally. Her hands went to the wheels of her chair and she began to move herself away from the table. The motion was so effortless that Boq was surprised that he had noticed it. It never failed to amaze him how well Nessa handled that chair. She may not have liked the chair at all, but Boq thought she looked beautiful nonetheless.

Glinda and Elphaba, meanwhile, exchanged glances. Then they stood up and turned to look at Nessa. "Don't be long, Nessa," said Elphaba, adopting an almost motherly tone that surprised Boq – it was hard to picture Elphaba as a mother.

"Elphie here needs to get her rest," Glinda added, grasping Elphaba's hand and squeezing it.

"I do not," Elphaba lied, though no one believed her. "We'll wait outside, Nessie. Don't keep her too long, Boq," she finished, staring straight at Boq with an expression that practically dared him to act. Their eyes met for a moment, sharing a sort of mutual understanding. Then, before he could say anything in response, she turned and led Glinda toward the door of the café.

After they had gone, Boq felt a strange mixture of relief and panic. He was relieved to be free of them all at last, but now he was alone with Nessarose, and that meant that it was time for him to say what he wanted to say. Naturally, that meant he was suddenly unable to say anything at all. Hesitantly, he turned to face her, his mind racing to find the words that his mouth simply would not say. _This_, he thought, _is why it took me so long to ask Glinda out. Why do I even try?_

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Nessarose asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Well… I…" Boq began, his brain scrambling for a coherent sentence. "The ball," he finally managed. "It's about the ball."

"What about it?"

"Well, I know you're going, and… and I was wondering if, maybe, you'd like to… to go with me." He rushed the words at the end, as though eager to get the sentence out in the open.

Nessarose didn't move. She didn't even blink. She just sat there, expressionless, for a moment. Boq was reminded of Elphaba, and he realized that he had found another, albeit frustrating, trait the sisters shared. It felt like an eternity that they sat in silence, gazing at each other. Boq's heart raced, and he felt about ready to explode. Was Elphaba wrong? Would Nessa turn him down? And if so, could he handle it?

Then, slowly, a smile crept onto Nessarose's lips. "Are you asking me on a date, Boq?"

Boq nodded, relief beginning to fill him even though she hadn't technically accepted yet. "I suppose I am."

"Then yes, I'd love to go to the ball with you," said Nessa, reaching out to grab Boq's hand. "On one condition."

Boq was too excited that she had said yes to worry about conditions. "Name it," he said.

"Stop being such a coward," she said. "It took you _way_ too long to ask me out. I'll let it go this time, but you really need to find some courage if you want to be my boyfriend. You think you can do that?"

Boq nodded. "I'll do my best," he promised. "I want to be a good boyfriend."

"I'm sure you will be," Nessa encouraged him, squeezing his hand.

Boq decided right then that if courage was what it took to make Nessa happy, he'd do anything to get it. He'd even go see the Wizard if he had to. He wasn't fond of the idea of going to see the Wizard, but if that was what it took, he would do it. Nessarose was worth it.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to my faithful reviewers for sticking with me. I've got another chapter for you. This is actually the first part of a two-part mega-chapter (I suppose you can call it that, anyway). This chapter and the next chapter will cover the party at the Ozdust Ballroom on Valentine's Day. Over the course of the next two chapters, every major character will have at least one POV section (only Shell has two at the moment, and you'll see why when we get to chapter 13). **

**I have to tell you that we have now officially caught up to my writing. That is, I am posting a chapter without having the next chapter already written and waiting. Only one major section of chapter 13 is written at the moment. I have been swamped with other work and haven't been able to get much writing done. I am not sure how long it will be until you get another update. But as I have promised before, you _will_ get another update. I fully intend to finish this fic, no matter how long it takes. Hopefully I'll have at least chapter 13 done soon - I hate to separate the two halves of the party mega-chapter for too long. But at any rate, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave me reviews - I love them!**

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12.

_February 14__th__: Valentine's Day. Doomsday, you might say. If you're me, that is, and your first date with the girl you like is tonight, and all your friends – not to mention the public – will be there. No pressure._

_It is, at least, a beautiful day outside. The sun is out, and even though it's still cold, the snow is melting and the wind has died down, leaving the weather pleasant. The city is bustling, as usual, but there is a spring in most people's steps that isn't there ordinarily. I think I would attribute this more to the weather than to the holiday, though – at least in my case._

_It is several hours before the dance. The train for Shiz is leaving soon, but in the meantime, we are busy getting ready. Nessa, Shell, Glinda, and Tibbett have been at the girls' apartment for hours. The Unnamed God only knows what they've been up to. Elphaba, meanwhile, has joined Crope, Fiyero, and I at the loft. Apparently, she needed to get away from all the fuss about dresses, shoes, and make-up. "I've got what I need," she said, holding up her simple black dress, her favorite black hat, and the only shoes she owns that aren't military boots. She didn't bother to explain why she looked Glinda-fied – with make-up and hair done and all that – and when Fiyero started to ask, she shot him a look and he shut up immediately. So, we've been here, doing nothing, and we probably won't get ready until it's just about time to leave. What's the point of getting dressed earlier than that?_

_It ought to be an interesting night. I wonder how Crope's colleagues will react when they see Tibbett. I can't see how Yero and Shell or Elphaba and Glinda's nights could go wrong, unless Glinda decides to start flirting with other people again. I don't even want to _think_ about my date with Nessa. We'll cross _that_ bridge when we come to it._

_

* * *

_

It was Tibbett who encouraged Elphaba to get away from all this. All it took was a sideways glance at the green woman to know that she would sooner have been anywhere else than here. Personally, Tibbett was thrilled at the chance to hang out with the girls and get all dressed up for the dance. Elphaba, on the other hand, was far from thrilled about the idea. Tibbett knew all too well what it felt like to be pressured into staying with a certain group, so she sympathized with Elphaba's plight. On a more selfish note, she wanted to have a good time today, and having Elphaba around would no doubt ruin the mood. Elphaba would be better off spending the afternoon with the boys. So, while Nessa and Shell were fawning over Glinda's dress choice. Tibbett pulled Elphaba aside and subtly encouraged her to take off.

"That way you can pick up your date with the rest of them," she said. "Besides, I imagine Boq will need your helping making it through to tonight."

Elphaba looked skeptical, but a smirk crossed her face at the mention of Boq, and she was convinced. Within two minutes, she gathered up everything she would need for the night and made her way to the door, trying to leave without being noticed.

But before she could slip away, Glinda caught sight of her girlfriend opening the door. "Elphie, where are you going?" she asked.

Elphaba turned back around slowly. "I'm going to the loft," she said matter-of-factly. "I'll get ready there."

"Why not get ready here?"

"I'd rather not be involved with all the affairs of shoes, hair, dresses, and make-up, thank you."

Glinda looked hurt. "I want you here, Elphie," she pouted.

"You'll hardly notice I'm gone," said Elphaba. "I'll be back to pick you up with the others."

Tibbett watched as a battle raged inside Glinda's mind. "Fine," Glinda said at last. "But at least let us fix your hair and make-up before you go."

Elphaba visibly squirmed. "I don't wear make-up," she said. "And what's wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing, dear," Glinda said soothingly. She stepped up to Elphaba and ran her hand along Elphaba's customary braid. "But it's so beautiful down – you simply _must_ wear it down."

"Fine. I can do that – but I can do it just as well at the loft as here. Now, can I go?" She reached her hands to open the door further, but Glinda moved faster and shut it completely before Elphaba could leave.

"Not so fast," she said. "You are not going to the Ozdust looking like that, Miss Elphaba. This will be my first time going to a ball with you, and I want my girlfriend looking presentable. I'm letting you wear the black dress and that old hat and those old shoes, but that's as much as I'm allowing. You happen to be beautiful, and I want the people of Shiz to know it."

Elphaba frowned. "I am _not_ beautiful, Glinda," she said simply. "You don't have to lie to me." Tibbett's heart sank at Elphaba's words. This poor woman; how could she possibly think she wasn't beautiful?

Fortunately, Glinda wasn't about to let this go. "It's not lying," she said quietly, cupping Elphaba's cheek in one hand in a comforting gesture. "It's looking at things another way." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed the green woman.

When she pulled away, Elphaba was smiling. "So, if I'm already beautiful, can I look at things another way and skip the hair and make-up session?"

Tibbett and the others began to laugh, and Elphaba smirked, but Glinda looked less than pleased. "I don't think so, Elphaba Thropp." Elphaba's smirk disappeared at the use of her last name. "With that statement, you might just have earned yourself an even _longer_ session."

Elphaba looked horrified. Satisfied, Glinda turned and began to pull Elphaba by the hand toward the bathroom. Elphaba glared at Tibbett as she passed. "I'm blaming this on _you_," she whispered harshly.

Tibbett shrugged, feigning innocence. How was she supposed to have known that Glinda planned to do this to Elphaba?

She stood by and watched as Glinda and Shell went to work on Elphaba. Elphaba had refused to let Shell help at first, until Glinda said that this would go faster if Shell helped. After a few minutes, Tibbett began to help Nessarose with her make-up for the evening, but they both kept an eye on the green girl's progress. The make-up Glinda applied to Elphaba's face was fairly simple, especially when compared to Glinda's or Tibbett's, but it was definitely bolder than what any of them was used to seeing on Elphaba. Still, when Glinda finally pronounced her finished, Elphaba looked gorgeous – at least, that's what Tibbett thought.

Glinda seemed to think so too. "Why, Miss Elphaba, look at you," she said. "You're beautiful."

Elphaba stared into the mirror – something Tibbett didn't think she was in the habit of doing often. She reached a hand up to touch her cheek, as though she couldn't believe that this was really her face staring back at her. Slowly, a smile crept onto her lips. Tibbett smiled with her. It was so good to see her happy with her own appearance like this.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, Elphaba's smile was gone. A trace of fear flashed across her face, almost too quickly to be noticed, and then her expression hardened to near-unreadability again. "I have to go," she said, rising quickly and rushing out the door. It was only moments before they heard the sound of the front door opening and closing again, and Elphaba was gone.

"Well, you're welcome!" Glinda called after her indignantly, despite the fact that Elphaba could no longer hear her. Then she sank into the recently-vacated chair and nearly began to cry.

Tibbett rushed over and put her arms around Glinda. "It's alright, sweetie. Elphaba will be alright. You did a lovely job."

"Why does she always have to do this, Tib?" Glinda asked, struggling to hold back her tears. "Doesn't she know that she's beautiful – that_ I_ think she's beautiful?"

"Of course she does," said Tibbett. "Didn't you see the smile on her face when she saw herself in that mirror?"

Glinda nodded. "But why did she have to run away?"

"She's just not used to thinking of herself as beautiful, sweetie. She's used to handling insults, not compliments. She doesn't know what to do with them yet."

"I suppose you're right. I just wish you weren't."

"I know, sugar," said Tibbett. "I know. But let's not ruin today by fretting about Elphaba. She'll come around. An afternoon of doing nothing with the boys may be just what she needs."

"Though I can't imagine how that could be more fun than what we're doing here," said Shell, winking at Glinda and eliciting a smile as a response. "Am I right?"

"Absolutely," said Glinda. "Elphie and the boys don't know what they're missing."

"Well, technically, Elphaba _does_ know what she's missing," said Nessa. "She just lived it."

"That's beside the point, Nessa," Glinda argued. "We're going to have so much fun, without or without them. Now, who's ready for a makeover?"

Tibbett smiled as she watched Glinda carry on. It was so nice to see the blonde woman in her element. But Tibbett could only watch for so long; there was fun to be had, and there was no way she was missing it.

* * *

Shell had never been to Shiz, and though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was nervous. She had to keep reminding herself that she was going to the Ozdust and not the university, but even _that_ didn't seem to calm her nerves. She knew she wasn't going there in order to make an impression, but all this dressing up and getting ready reminded her of her childhood, when she and Elphaba had been forced to go to balls and parties where they could never hope to please their father, no matter how hard they tried. Elphaba had given up trying to impress people a long time ago, but Shell had never completely been able to do that. She wanted to say that she didn't care about people's opinions, and to a certain extent, she didn't, but if she had an opportunity to make a good impression, she would take it.

Tonight was also about making an impression for Fiyero's sake. She supposed it was almost a lost cause, since Fiyero had dropped out of Shiz instead of graduating. Maybe this made her impression all the more important. She could help Fiyero prove that you don't need a degree to be happy. She would just avoid talking about her job, or Fiyero's lack thereof.

The train ride itself was an all-new experience for Shell. She had never been on a train before. The trains that went all through Gillikin were extensive and expensive, but very nice. She was just glad they had Elphaba's money and Glinda's parents' money to pay for the tickets. They didn't all fit in one compartment, so Glinda, Elphaba, Crope, and Tibbett had taken a compartment across from Shell, Fiyero, Boq, and Nessa. Nessa's chair was secured at the end of the coach, while Nessa sat happily on the seat next to the window. Shell sat across from her, and together, the sisters enjoyed the view of the Gillikin countryside passing quickly by.

"Are you excited to go back to Shiz?" Shell asked after a while. All three of her compartment-mates had attended Shiz at one time, though only Nessa had actually graduated.

"If by Shiz, you mean the university, then hell no," Fiyero answered. "But if you mean the Ozdust Ballroom, hell yes."

"Fiyero was always the part animal," said Boq. "He got us all to go to a party at the Ozdust the very first night he arrived at Shiz."

"Really?" Shell looked over at Fiyero, surprised.

"Yeah, I did," Fiyero admitted. "But people were only paying attention to me because of the antler incident."

"What antler incident?"

"That was you?" Nessa asked suddenly. "Elphaba told me the story – I wasn't in the class – but she never told me your name. Or maybe she did and I just didn't remember."

"I didn't know you were in Shiz then," said Boq. "I mean, I knew you went to Shiz, but I didn't know you were there the same time I was."

"We kept to ourselves, Elphaba and I," Nessa explained. "But I don't know how you could have missed Elphaba – she's usually quite noticeable."

"Now that you mention it, I _do_ remember seeing a green girl in class that day," said Fiyero. "I didn't think anything of it. I mean, green skin isn't that much weirder than dark skin and blue diamonds."

Shell was growing frustrated. She didn't like being left out of this little nostalgic trip through time. "Excuse me," she said. "I hate to break up the 'remember the good old days at Shiz' party, but would someone mind letting me in on this antler incident story?"

Boq began to tell the story of Fiyero's late arrival to his first Life Sciences class, how a pair of enchanted antlers had attacked the new kid, and how Avaric (Boq's roommate at the time) and Crope had wrestled them away from Fiyero before they killed him. That, Boq explained, was how the four of them had fallen in together.

"That's why you all became roommates in the Emerald City," Shell said as Boq's story came to a close.

Fiyero nodded. "Nothing like a near-death experience to bring people together."

"Just be thankful it's not the _only_ way to bring people together," said Shell.

"Trust me, I am. One set of crazy enchanted antlers is enough for me."

The conversation died away shortly after that, leaving the inhabitants of the compartment lost in silence. Shell continued to stare out the window, watching the countryside pass them by. Every now and then, she looked over at Fiyero, who would smile at her and squeeze her hand. Then she might look at Boq and Nessa, the latter of whom insisted on holding the former's hand, whether he was comfortable with it or not. It was in moments like this that Shell could see the personality resemblance between her and Nessa. Shell and her sisters were all very different, but they had all gotten boldness and stubbornness from their mother.

Eventually, the countryside outside the windows of the train began to change to roads and buildings that grew closer and closer together. They were entering the industrialized city of Shiz now, Shell guessed, based on the amount of smoke rising from the buildings around them.

"The next stop is Shiz," the voice of the conductor called out over a loudspeaker. "Change here for all points east and west. Again, the next stop is Shiz. All change here."

Shell began to shift around in her seat, now anxious to get out of her seat and off the train. Nearby, Boq looked about as restless as she was, though she suspected his restlessness was more from anxiety than hers. Shell was just eager to be moving again. She was missing a big night at work tonight – nightclubs were busiest on holidays, especially ones like this one – and she needed a night of fun and excitement with Fiyero and her other friends to make up for it. Hopefully this dance wouldn't be _too_ fancy or formal; Shell was never in the mood for that.

The train finally began to slow down, until at last, it ground to a stop. "Shiz Station," called the conductor's voice. "Shiz Station. All change here. Welcome to Shiz."

Shell and Fiyero stood up from their seats. Boq started to rise, but then glanced at Nessa and sat back down beside her. Shell followed Fiyero out into the corridor. Crope and Tibbett had already gone to see that Nessa's chair made it onto the platform. Glinda stood with Fiyero and Shell while Elphaba swept into the compartment to scoop Nessa up in her arms. Boq looked on as the green woman carried her sister out the door, unable to figure out if her should be helping or not. They all followed Elphaba and Nessa until they were off the train and on the platform. There, they rejoined Crope and Tibbett, and Elphaba set Nessa gently into her chair. From there, Boq took over, pushing Nessa along as they made their way toward the station exit.

The Ozdust Ballroom was not far away from the station, according to Crope, so they decided to walk there instead of trying to find alternate transportation. It felt a little strange to be walking around the city in such fancy clothing, but Shell didn't mind. They were a group that attracted stares no matter what they were wearing, so tuxedos and ball gowns didn't make that much of a difference.

In some ways, Shiz looked no different than the Emerald City. There were lots of people, and quite a few factories, and lots of noises and smells that reminded Shell that this was definitely a city. But the buildings were smaller and in better shape than most of the buildings in the Emerald City. Shell could hear Glinda talking animatedly about architecture to Elphaba as they walked along. Elphaba, meanwhile, seemed to be interested in the fact that there were a few Animals out and about here; they rarely showed their faces in public in the Emerald City. Shell was busy trying to get a feel for the city as a whole. It was definitely Gillikinese – she could tell even without having ever been in Gillikin before. It was busy and industrialized, while at the same time, maintaining its proud high-class feel. It reminded her of Glinda in a way – lively and practical with a hidden side of glitz and glamour.

Of course, the glitz and glamour of the Ozdust Ballroom itself was not hidden at all. It was easy to see why this place had been chosen by the Wizard for the ball. Fiyero was right; it _was_ the most swankified place in town. All the red and pink lights on the outside of the building made Shell smile. Behind her, Elphaba groaned and muttered something about too much pink, to which Glinda responded with an, "Oh, Elphie!"

Here, for the first time since they'd arrived in Shiz, Shell could see others who were as dressed up as she and her friends. In fact, most of the people she saw now had fancier clothes than they did. But no one Shell saw was dressed as colorfully as Tibbett… or Glinda, for that matter. Even her own dress – blue, to match Fiyero's diamonds – looked quite colorful next to the predominantly black-and-white garb of the crowd. Crope wore a black jacket and trousers, and Elphaba was all dressed in black, of course, but the rest of their group wore colors. Shell was quite proud of this fact.

Inside the ballroom, music was already playing, and couples were already dancing. All around the edges of the room, people stood around, drinks in hand, talking and gossiping amongst themselves. It was easy to pick out the students in the room; they crowded together in larger groups, wore shorter and more revealing dresses, and brimmed with naïve confidence. The professors were easy to find, too. They were brimming with confidence, too, but it was a much more condescending confidence. Shell looked over at Crope and wondered if he was thinking the same thing. She saw his gaze drift to where the other professors stood, and immediately, he reached his hand down to squeeze Tibbett's. Shell smirked. Just let those stuffy professors see them now.

They all paused a short distance from the door as they surveyed the scene in front of them. Fiyero stepped up behind Shell, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her body back against his. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered in her ear, "You look gorgeous tonight. You know that?"

Shell grinned and turned slightly to look up at him. "You look pretty damn hot yourself."

"What can I say?" he said, a confident smile spreading across his face. "Must be the Arjiki genes."

"I've got them too, you know."

"Maybe that's why you're so damn gorgeous."

She turned all the way around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Maybe that's where you get your damn ego."

Fiyero shrugged. "Could be."

Shell rolled her eyes and pulled her boyfriend in for a kiss. "Just behave tonight," she whispered into his ear, "and I'll make it worth your while."

"I look forward to it," he whispered back. He placed a kiss on her cheek, where her diamonds were. A shiver ran through her face and down her spine. She loved it when he did that.

"Later," she whispered, reluctantly pulling her face away from his. She didn't dare let him keep doing that; too many kisses like that and she might not be able to keep herself from pushing him against the wall and taking him right here, in front of everyone. _Although_, she thought, _that's certainly_ one_ way to make a statement_. She laughed at the thought, but shoved it away. There would be time for sex later – _lots_ of sex later, if Shell had anything to say about it.

* * *

"Honey, would you excuse me for a while?" Avaric asked. "I have a few people I'd like to talk to."

"Oh, sure, dear," Pfannee said, barely glancing at her husband. "Have fun." She went straight back to gossiping with Shenshen and the other women, whose names Avaric couldn't be bothered to remember.

"Oh, I will," he said, mostly to himself. He straightened his tie and adjusted his coat. There were lots of beautiful women here tonight, just waiting for a man to ask them to dance, and since his wife was otherwise occupied, he was free to work the room as he saw fit, putting his charms and his good looks to use.

As he moved away from Pfannee, a group of brightly-dressed people entering the ballroom caught his eye. He recognized them instantly, of course; it was all four of his old roommates and their girlfriends. Well, he couldn't be sure that Boq was actually dating the girl in the wheelchair, and technically Crope's partner was male, not female, but Avaric had always found it easier to generalize. If he wanted to say that all his old roommates – including Galinda, to his continued amusement – had girlfriends, he could.

The eccentric group always caught his attention easily. A part of him still wanted to be one of them, even though he liked the money and power he got while married to Pfannee. But one member of the group especially caught his eye tonight. She was dressed in an incredibly alluring blue dress that made the four diamonds on her cheek seem especially bright. Avaric was not fond of the fact that she was with Fiyero, but the way that she was looking at him and kissing him caused a stir in Avaric's trousers. He remembered very vividly the way she had touched him all those months ago, and he shuddered at the very memory.

It would be impossible to separate her from Fiyero enough to get her into his bed tonight, Avaric knew. But he could plant the seeds, so to speak. He knew Fiyero's weaknesses. A small part of him felt bad about cracking the kid, but Avaric pushed aside the small part, pretending it didn't exist. He wanted Shell again, and he always got what he wanted.

Smirking, Avaric moved back into the crowd so they wouldn't see him. He would catch Shell by herself, and then his plan would leap into action. They had made his Lurlinemas exceptionally painful and humiliating; he would pay them back, and he would get laid in the process.

* * *

As soon as they entered the ballroom, every eye was on them. Most of the people stared at the brightly dressed women and the woman with the green skin. But Crope was sure that most, if not all, of the professor-types were staring straight at _him_. Or perhaps they were staring at Tibbett; he couldn't be sure. He had been expecting stares. Normally, stares wouldn't have bothered him. In fact, he probably would have made _sure_ they were staring. Stares made him feel proud, defiant. He was confident in who he was, and the fact that people stared reminded him of how proud he was to be different.

But dating Tibbett had changed him. Tibbett wasn't like any other boyfriend Crope had ever had. When Crope was with Tibbett, he felt content, settled. He wanted to be able to hold down a job to provide for his lover. He didn't believe he would ever deserve Tibbett's love, but he did all he could to prove that he was grateful that Tibbett loved him anyway. He couldn't let Tibbett down, and losing his job this early in the semester would definitely count as letting Tibbett down.

He could only hope that they had meant it when they had said they were desperate for teachers. If that were true, they would find it much more difficult to get rid of him.

Beside him, Tibbett was nearly jumping up and down with excitement. Tonight she was wearing her blonde wig again, along with a pink and purple dress, pink stockings, and a shiny golden coat. As Crope took her hand, he noticed that her nails were blue, despite the fact that it did not match her outfit at all. Blue nails were Tibbett's favorite.

"I want to dance," Tibbett said excitedly. "Can we?"

"Of course we can," Crope answered. He took a step backward, bowed, and raised Tibbett's hand to his lips for a quick kiss. "May I have this dance?"

Tibbett smiled and curtsied. "Certainly, good sir." Then she let Crope lead her out toward the part of the ballroom where people were dancing. Shell and Fiyero were quick to follow, and Crope saw Glinda tugging on the arms of a reluctant Elphaba, trying to get the green woman to dance. Even Boq and Nessarose joined the dancers, though they stayed toward the edge of the circle, to make it easier for Boq to maneuver Nessa's chair.

"They're so cute," Tibbett commented, joining Crope as he watched Boq pushing Nessa around and attempting to dance at the same time.

"They sure are."

Tibbett turned to look back at Crope. "Would you do that for me if I couldn't dance anymore?"

"I'd do you one better," Crope answered. "I'd pick you up and dance with you in my arms."

"Are you sure you'd be strong enough to carry me?"

"I'll always find the strength to carry you, my angel."

Tibbett laid her head against Crope's chest as they continued to dance. Crope didn't believe there could be anything more perfect than this.

But the moment soon ended. Without realizing it, Crope and Tibbett had danced right over to where some of Crope's former and current colleagues – from both Shiz and Oz University – were standing. As Crope leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Tibbett's forehead, he heard someone behind him clear his throat loudly. Annoyed, Crope spun his head around until his gaze fell on Professors Nikidik and Grommetik, two of his old colleagues from his Shiz days, who had also taught him back when he had been a student.

Crope took Tibbett by the hand and led her over to the pair of professors. "Good evening, gentlemen," he said. "Good to see you here this evening."

"I wish we could reciprocate the sentiment," said Grommetik. He spoke with a falsely polite voice – he had always been the more socially conscientious one.

"Tell us, Crope – what _are_ you doing here?" asked Nikidik. "I had been operating under the belief that attendance at this ball was by invitation only."

By this, of course, Crope knew he meant, _How the hell did _you_ get invited to this?_ He smiled. "I'm on the faculty at Oz U now," he informed them. "All faculty members were expected to make an appearance. And," he added, gripping Tibbett's hand tighter, "we were allowed to invite anyone we wished."

"I see," said Nikidik. "Well, that would explain the arrival of your little group of misfits. Shouldn't you all be back in the east end of the Emerald City, where you belong?" His eyes travelled to Tibbett as he spoke, then back to Crope again.

"We belong a great many places, Nikidik," Crope said, trying not to let the looks Grommetik and Nikidik were giving Tibbett bother him. "My 'little group of misfits', as you call them, happens to include Glinda of the Arduennas, Fiyero Tigelaar of the Arjiki royal family, and all three daughters of the governor of Munchkinland." Crope wasn't sure his friends would appreciate his use of their titles like that, but he _was_ sure they would support him trying to stick it to this stuffy old Shiz professor.

Both pairs of professors' eyes travelled to the other members of the group, then slowly returned to Crope and Tibbett. Neither professor looked impressed. "So now you've enticed members of society into your group as well," said Grommetik. "How very happy it must make you to see how far they've fallen."

"Not that I'm surprised about some of them," Nikidik added. "Miss Elphaba, for example. She was always a troublesome one, meddling in affairs that were best left alone. And that skin… well, _that_ was always an indication of how she'd end up. Just _look_ at her, cavorting with that other young lady – it's a disgrace."

"Little wonder her father wants nothing to do with her – or so the rumors say," Grommetik added.

Crope was about to say something, but Tibbett stepped in first. "Elphaba was probably the brightest student to ever walk the halls of Shiz," she said. "She's certainly got more brains than the two of you. And the person she chooses to love is her own affair. I've never seen Elphaba and Glinda as happy apart as they are together."

Grommetik's eyebrows rose. "Glinda?" The name didn't seem to register with him at first. "Oh, so that's Galinda of the Arduennas. How strange. I'd heard that she had all sorts of _male_ suitors seeking her hand."

"Apparently not any longer," said Nikidik, watching Glinda and Elphaba dance around the floor. "It seems living in that part of the city has turned her into a lesbian."

"What a shame," said Grommetik. "She would have had such a bright future."

Crope was getting angrier with every word that came out of their mouths. He would have left, but he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of winning. "She still _has_ a future," he insisted. "And if she chooses to share that future with Elphaba, that's _her_ choice, not yours."

"What's this about me?" Coming up behind them were Elphaba and Glinda, who must have caught the last comments as they danced this direction. Elphaba, who had spoken, turned slightly stiff at the sight of her old professors. "Good evening, Professor Nikidik, Professor Grommetik."

"Miss Elphaba, you're looking as green as ever," said Grommetik. "I'm glad to see that hasn't changed."

"And you're still as big an asshole as ever. I'm glad to see that hasn't changed."

Crope, Tibbett, and Glinda had to choke back laughter at Elphaba's remark. Grommetik and Nikidik, meanwhile, looked less than pleased. "I see you haven't lost your charming wit, either," said Nikidik. He turned to Glinda. "Tell me, is that what won you over? Or was it her kind and sensitive personality that turned you from a precious little princess into a filthy lesbian whore?"

Glinda's face turned white from shock. She was suddenly speechless. "What… I…"

"Leave her alone," Tibbett interrupted. Grommetik and Nikidik turned back to face her. "Your quarrel is with Crope… and Elphaba, I guess. Leave Glinda out of this."

Nikidik took a small step toward Tibbett, looking her straight in the eye. "And what about you, hmm? What was it about dear old Crope that won _you_ over? Was it the fact that you're both men who should be out looking for women instead of sleeping with each other? Or are you too busy pretending to be a woman to ever win one over?"

Crope very nearly punched Nikidik in the face right then and there. Elphaba looked ready to do the same. Nikidik must have seen them tense up, because he stepped back to his place, a satisfied grin on his face. But before either of them could move to show him what they thought of him, Tibbett stepped forward. Her face was completely calm as she marched straight up to the two professors and stood with her hands on her hips, looking Nikidik straight in the eye.

"I'm more of a man than you'll ever be," she said. "And I'm more of a woman than you'll ever get."

They all remained motionless at first, until Tibbett suddenly turned and strode away. They stared after her as she went, not realizing that they still hadn't moved.

It was Glinda who moved first. Copying Tibbett, she stepped toward Grommetik and Nikidik and said, in a falsely polite voice, "And that, assholes, is our final word on the matter." She turned around and walked toward Elphaba. "Come on, Elphie, let's dance." Still stunned, Elphaba put up no fight at all as Glinda led her back to the dance floor.

Crope, Grommetik, and Nikidik remained frozen in place. Finally, Crope shook his head to snap himself out of his reverie, then smiled. "Well, gentlemen, it's been fun, but I've got to go find my girl."

The other professors glared at him. "Watch yourself, Crope," said Grommetik. "Or you may find your employment at Oz University over before mid-term."

Crope's grin widened. He bowed dramatically. "It's been a pleasure," he said. Then, with a flourish, he turned and returned to the dance floor. He found Tibbett talking to Shell and Fiyero, retelling the story of what had just happened. When Crope arrived, she was repeating her final remarks to Nikidik and Grommetik.

"You tell 'em, girl," said Shell, as Fiyero threw his head back and laughed.

"She sure did," Crope said, grinning proudly as he put an arm around Tibbett. "She was amazing. Weren't you, angel?"

"Oh, thank you, honey," said Tibbett. "You're so sweet." She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

Crope took Tibbett by the hand and squeezed it lightly. By now, he was so pumped up and excited that nothing could bring him down. He had never realized that reality could get you just as high as pinlobble leaves, but with the added benefit of being able to remember it all later.

"Shall we get this party started?" he asked, looking around at his friends.

"Hell yeah," said Shell. "It's time to party!"

She gave Crope a high five. Crope was suddenly aware that there were people watching them. But now, he reveled in it. _Bring it on_, he thought. _You're never gonna bring us down!_

_

* * *

_

Elphaba barely noticed that they were dancing again. She was too busy staring in wonder at her beautiful blonde girlfriend. She was having a hard time believing that Glinda had stood up to those two professors like that. It was one thing for Elphaba to refer to them as assholes – they had always been the professors at Shiz with the least competency and the largest egos. And besides, curse words sounded less strange coming from _her_ mouth. Glinda, on the other hand, gave off such a good and innocent aura that anything less than perfection didn't seem to fit. Elphaba was used to hearing Glinda swear at her, or at inanimate objects, but she would not have expected the blonde to ever direct such language toward respectable members of society. Or maybe it wasn't such a surprise, she thought, since Nikidik and Grommetik couldn't possibly be called respectable.

"Elphie, are you alright?"

Glinda's voice startled her. "What?" Elphaba asked, shaking her head in an attempt to regain her focus. She hadn't realized how far out of it she had been.

"You were staring off into space," said Glinda. "Don't tell me you were _thinking_ again."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing."

Glinda chuckled. "All things in moderation," she said. "What were you thinking about?"

"You," Elphaba answered, "calling those bastards assholes."

Glinda's cheeks flushed a very pretty shade of red, and she looked away from Elphaba. "Oh, _that_," she said. "It might have been a little harsh."

"Not at all." Elphaba lifted a hand and turned Glinda's face back toward her. Then she leaned in closer and whispered into Glinda's ear. "They deserved it."

Elphaba felt Glinda shiver as the warm air of Elphaba's words brushed her skin. The skin between Glinda's ears and neck had always been especially sensitive, and Elphaba often liked to take advantage of that piece of information. She did so now, placing small kisses on the side of Glinda's face and slowly moving down toward the curve of her neck.

A small moan escaped from Glinda's lips. "Elphie," she breathed, instinctively tipping her head back to give Elphaba better access. Elphaba began to use this to her advantage, kissing the newly exposed skin with increased fervor. Their feet continued to move, taking them in a circular pattern, but they were too busy to notice. Glinda's unexpected boldness had turned Elphaba on more than she had realized. It didn't help that Glinda was wearing _this_ dress – an elegant pink ball gown that emphasized all of Glinda's best features and practically begged to be taken off.

She might have done it, too, if Glinda hadn't come to her senses. "Elphie," she repeated, but this time her voice was not breathless or pleading. "Elphie, stop it. Not now."

"Why not?" Elphaba placed a kiss on one of Glinda's most sensitive spots and smiled as Glinda gasped.

But Glinda somehow remained insistent. "Not here. We're in public. Wait 'til later."

Reluctantly, Elphaba withdrew her face from Glinda's neck and stood to her full height. "Fine," she said. "But there _will_ be a later."

"Of course." Glinda stretched upward to press her lips to Elphaba's. Then she sank back down and looked up at Elphaba thoughtfully. "You know, you really _are_ a good dancer, Elphie."

Elphaba just stared at her, a little taken aback. "What?"

"You only just learned the steps a little while ago, and already you know them well enough to dance _and_ seduce me at the same time."

This time it was Elphaba's turn to blush, her cheeks turning a darker shade of green instead of bright red. She wanted to respond, but had no idea what to say. She'd certainly never been complimented on her _dancing_ before.

Glinda laughed. "Why, Miss Elphaba, you're blushing."

"Thank you for informing me, Miss Glinda – I had no idea."

"Oh, you mean green thing." Glinda gave her a playful slap on the shoulder. "I love you – I really do." She laughed for a moment, then sighed. "Oh dear, I'm suddenly quite thirsty. Pookie, would you mind fetching me a refreshment?"

Elphaba was a little surprised by the request, but she nodded anyway. "Sure, honeybear. What would you like?"

"Oh, anything, as long as it's cold and wet. You know what I like."

"Alright. I'll be right back." Elphaba bent to give Glinda another kiss, and then pulled herself away from her girlfriend's arms. Glinda turned and began walking toward the wall, away from the other dancers, to await her drink.

It took Elphaba a minute or two to find the refreshment table; she had located it when they first arrived, but all the spinning and dancing had confused her sense of direction. Finally, she spotted it, located on the side of the room opposite Professors Grommetik and Nikidik, for which she was grateful. She slowly made her way to the table of refreshments, nearly running into and knocking over several dancers in the process. Somehow she made it to the table in one piece.

Elphaba looked over the beverage and food choices on the table. There was no line anywhere; everyone was just taking whatever they wanted whenever they could get to it. She was able to pour herself a glass of champagne, and then selected some sort of bright pink-colored drink for Glinda. She took a sip and grimaced at the taste, then decided it was exactly what Glinda would like. She had just filled a glass for her girlfriend and had turned to go when she collided with someone. Some of the pink drink sloshed out of the glass and landed on the clothes of the person with whom she had collided.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, while at the same time, the person said, "Oh, pardon me. I wasn't looking where I was going, I'm afraid."

It was then that Elphaba realized that she _knew_ this person. "Dr. Dillamond? Is that you?"

The Goat looked up at her and smiled. "Why, if it isn't Miss Elphaba, come back to Shiz. How are you, my dear?"

"Great," Elphaba managed. Surprise at seeing her old professor had apparently hindered her ability to form a coherent sentence. "I'm doing very well. And yourself?"

Dr. Dillamond looked away from her, suddenly uncomfortable, or sad, perhaps. "I've seen better days, Miss Elphaba. But let's not dwell on that." He looked back at her, trying to smile. "I want to know all about what my favorite student has been up to. Although, perhaps we ought to move away from the refreshment table first."

"That would probably be wise," Elphaba agreed. So, still carrying the two drinks in hand, she followed Dr. Dillamond to a nearby nearly-empty corner of the room. Elphaba set the drinks down on a small table and sat down in a chair next to it.

"So," said Dr. Dillamond, once Elphaba was seated, "what have you been up to, my dear?"

"Well, I'm a lawyer now," Elphaba began. "I've been living in the Emerald City with Nessa – you remember Nessarose, right? My younger sister?"

Dr. Dillamond paused for a moment, trying to remember. "Ah, yes," he said at last. "The one in the wheelchair, correct? Oh, she was such a sweet girl. And her essays weren't half bad either, as I recall."

Elphaba smiled at Dr. Dillamond's compliments of Nessa. "She's working as an artist now."

"Oh, is she? Good for her. I was never the artistic sort, myself. I think it's easier to be an artist if you have fingers. I'd be more suited for law than for art, I believe. What sort of law work do you do, anyway?"

"A whole variety of things," Elphaba answered. "I'm not very high up yet. But defense cases are my strong suit, or so I've been told. I try to deal with cases of civil and Animal rights whenever I can."

"I shouldn't be surprised," said Dr. Dillamond. "You have always had such a heart for those of us with paws."

Suddenly, he looked very sad, and he looked away from Elphaba again. "Dr. Dillamond, what is it?" Elphaba asked.

"Oh, Miss Elphaba, it warms my heart to hear that you're fighting for our rights – the rights of the Animals, I mean." Slowly, he turned his face back toward her. "But I fear that very soon, the law will no longer be able to help us."

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering right away, Dr. Dillamond looked around, as if to be sure that no one was near enough to overhear. Even so, he came closer to Elphaba and spoke in a near-whisper. "Surely you've noticed the increasing restrictions on Animal activity."

"Of course."

"My poor mother cannot even travel like a normal person on a train any longer – she has to ride in a _pen_. A pen! Can you imagine? It's infuriating!"

"I'll say."

"I'm afraid that's just it, Miss Elphaba – _you_ can still say, even with all the prejudices held against you. I'm afraid that many of us will very soon be deprived of that luxury."

"What?" Elphaba breathed, shocked. "What do you mean, you won't be able to say anything anymore?"

"I've heard things, Miss Elphaba," Dr. Dillamond answered. "Terrible things. An old friend of mine, an Owl from Munchkin Rock, has been a minister all these years, spreading the Unionist faith." Elphaba grimaced a little, and her old professor noticed. "It doesn't matter what you think of his faith, Miss Elphaba. The point is, I've heard that he was forbidden to preach at all. His flock has faded away, and…" Dr. Dillamond stopped short, almost to the point of tears. Elphaba extended a hand and began to massage his back comfortingly. "… and now, he can't speak at all," the poor Goat continued. "All he can do now is screech!"

"What?" Elphaba couldn't believe it – she didn't _want_ to believe it. "He forgot how to speak? But how is that possible?"

"There's so much pressure _not_ to," he answered. "If you make it discouraging enough, you can keep anyone silent."

"But… but it _can't_ be. It just _can't_ be."

"I'm afraid it is, my dear," said Dr. Dillamond. "Something bad is happening in Oz, under the surface, behind the scenes. I know these are only rumors, but still, it's enough to give pause to anyone with _paws_. Already I'm the only Animal remaining on the faculty at Shiz, and there haven't been any Animal students at Shiz in years."

"You're right," said Elphaba. "There weren't any when _I_ graduated, and that was years ago."

"It's true, Miss Elphaba. I'm afraid Oz is becoming less and less, well, _colorful_." He smiled at her, and for once, Elphaba felt proud of her emerald green skin. There were very few people who could make her _not_ hate the color of her skin, and Dr. Dillamond was one of them.

"Perhaps we should move on to a less heavy topic," Dr. Dillamond said. "This is a party, after all – we should be trying to enjoy ourselves. Besides, it is _so_ good to see you smile, my dear. It was a rare thing to see that smile when you were at school."

"There weren't many reasons to smile at school," said Elphaba.

"But you have reasons to smile now, I hope."

"I suppose so."

"Would it have anything to do with the person for whom that pink drink is intended?"

Elphaba nearly blushed. She reminded herself that this was Dr. Dillamond; he meant well, and he would certainly not judge her at all. "Perhaps," she answered vaguely. "Or perhaps this pink drink is for me, and the champagne is meant for someone else."

"I'm smarter than that, Miss Elphaba. I know you well enough to know that you that you would never think of drinking anything so pink."

"You caught me."

"Is it safe to presume that the intended drinker of this pink drink is the object of your affections?"

"Yes, in fact."

"May I ask who the lucky one is?"

Elphaba nodded. "Her name is Glinda. You met her once, I believe, on the train to Shiz – you would have known her as Galinda of the Arduennas back then."

Dr. Dillamond paused again. "I'm not certain I remember her. Perhaps if you point her out…"

Elphaba scanned the room. It didn't take long to find Glinda; the bright pink dress and curly blonde hair were a dead giveaway. "There she is," Elphaba told Dr. Dillamond, pointing in Glinda's direction. "The blonde woman in the pink dress."

"Ah, yes," said Dr. Dillamond. "I see her now." He watched her for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm still having difficulty remembering her. My apologies."

"Don't worry about it," said Elphaba. "She wouldn't expect you to remember her." Actually, Elphaba was quite sure Glinda would be disappointed to not be remembered, but there was no point telling Dr. Dillamond that.

"Well, I expect it of myself," he said. "I strive to remember the people I've met, no matter who they are. I would hate to think that I've forgotten someone, especially someone who is now making my favorite student smile so brightly."

Elphaba nearly blushed again. "Would you like to meet her? I really need to get this drink back to her, anyway – if I can make it there without spilling pink liquid on anyone else."

Dr. Dillamond laughed. "I would be honored to meet the woman who has captured your heart, Miss Elphaba. Lead on."

They stood, and Elphaba was about to scoop the drinks up off the table when she suddenly thought of something she wanted to say before they went to meet Glinda. "Dr. Dillamond, if something bad is happening to the Animals, then someone's got to tell the Wizard. After all, isn't that why we _have_ a Wizard? He can make it right."

"I hope you're right," said Dr. Dillamond. "For all our sakes, I hope you're right. I cannot begin to imagine an Oz without the voice of the Animals. Let up hope the Wizard can stop this something baaaaa…"

Elphaba nearly jumped backward, and so did Dr. Dillamond. She couldn't have heard what she had just heard; it couldn't be true. "Dr. Dillamond, are you alright?"

Dr. Dillamond coughed and cleared his throat. "Pardon me. I'm not sure what came over me. Now, shall we go and meet your Glinda?" He began to walk toward Glinda as quickly as possible, and Elphaba knew he was ashamed of what had just happened.

"It couldn't happen here," she whispered, sadness and fear rushing in to fill her as she walked him walk away. "Not in Oz."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So... a change of plans. I know I said that the Ozdust party would be a two-chapter mega-chapter... I was wrong. It's actually going to be three chapters now. As I mentioned last chapter, I'm trying to have each character have at least 1 POV sections (though Shell gets two, as you'll see). Originally, I planned to have the rest of the POV sections in this chapter... but Glinda wouldn't have it. Once I got to her section, things got out of hand. Suddenly I had enough material for one chapter in just Glinda's section. I never intended for Glinda's parents to make an appearance at the party, but they came anyway. So now I have my longest chapter to date. Fantastic.  
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**As you might guess, there's quite a bit of Gelphie in this chapter. I can't help it. They're my favorite. Also, please be warned, there is some more rough language in this chapter, especially in the 2nd part of Fiyero's section. He's a little angry - you can't blame him.  
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**The next chapter will focus on Boq and Nessarose (since they're the only two who haven't really spoken up yet). In the meantime, enjoy.**

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* * *

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13.

It was strange, Fiyero decided, being at the Ozdust again after all these years. The last time he had been here, he had been a new student at Shiz, happy to be away from home, but not so happy to be at school. He couldn't remember much of what had happened at any of those school parties. He couldn't remember the names of any of the girls he had danced with, or any of the boys he had hung out with – except for Crope, Boq, and Avaric, of course, but he only remembered _them_ because he had lived with them for so long. Everything else seemed like a blur, the way most of his life pre-Sarima seemed now. All that was clear anymore was what had happened since Lurlinemas Eve. It was almost as though he had danced his way through life, and now that dancing was fading into memory.

Fiyero could barely imagine himself as a college student. He looked at the students now and couldn't see himself in them at all. He had been naïve and cocky back then, though not so much as Avaric. Fiyero had at least been willing to change; Avaric had always been, and would always be, a complete asshole. He wondered whether the current students would turn out anything like him, or whether they would be more like Avaric. Or, perhaps, they might turn out more like any other one of his friends. They could be like Boq, loyal and kind, but afraid to act; like Glinda, bubbly and flirtatious and too affectionate for her own good; like Tibbett, sweet, but proud, despite being misunderstood; like Nessa, struggling to define herself and defy her limitations; like Elphaba, bold and cynical, but fiercely loyal; or even like Shell, confident in herself but fully aware of her own failings and shortcomings. They were all so different, yet they fit together perfectly. Fiyero couldn't imagine any of these current students could possibly be happier than he was right now.

Of course, Fiyero didn't believe there was a single person in Oz who could be happier than him right now. After all, no one else in Oz was dancing with Shell Thropp in his arms. Fiyero believed Shell looked unbelievably gorgeous _all_ the time, but he had to admit, she looked especially beautiful tonight. The dress she wore was exactly the perfect shade of blue to compliment her skin, and it made the four diamonds on her cheek seem to glow even more than usual. The dress even seemed to make her deep brown eyes seem deeper and more mysterious than he had ever seen them. All that he needed now was the moonlight, which always radiated off her in such a way that it made her seem to be an angel. If such a thing as perfection existed, Shell Thropp was its definition. And she loved _him_. How could any man be so lucky?

"Yero?" she asked after a while. Her voice was low and soft, like a murmur.

"Yes?"

"I'm a little thirsty. I think I'll get myself a drink."

"I can get it for you," Fiyero said quickly. He moved to head in that direction, but Shell stopped him.

"I can get my own drink," she said. "I need a short break from dancing, anyway. I'll only be a few minutes."

Fiyero hesitated. As the gentleman, it was his responsibility to get the refreshments. But Shell was a Thropp, and Fiyero had learned by now that the Thropp women – all three of them – were extremely stubborn. Far be it from him to cause an outcry because of a drink.

"Okay," he said finally. "As long as you get me something, too."

Shell smiled. "It's a deal," she said. She kissed him on the cheek, directly over a diamond tattoo, and then stepped back. "I'll be back in a minute." She pulled away from him and began to gracefully maneuver through the crowd toward the table of refreshments.

For a few minutes, Fiyero waited there. The loss of Shell left him feeling lonely. It also left a feeling of awkwardness, as he was now the only one around him who had no partner. He was not used to having no partner. He may not have remembered all his old dance partners, but he distinctly remembered always having one. To be without a date on the dance floor, even for a few minutes, felt very unpleasant. _This must be what girls feel like when their dates go to fetch them a drink_, he thought. _How do they bear it?_

Fiyero tried very hard to wait patiently, but the pressure was too great. Finally, he became so overwhelmed that he had to move. Shell wouldn't appreciate it if he went all the way to the refreshment table, but coming partway surely wouldn't bother her. He began to head in that direction, being careful to stay behind other dancers so Shell wouldn't see him if she should happen to glance over. He was stopped by Boq and Nessa at one point. They had apparently seen some of the commotion with Crope and Tibbett and wanted to know what had happened. Glad for a distraction, Fiyero began to relay the tale.

He had just finished repeating Tibbett's last words when the view to the refreshment table suddenly became clear. Without meaning to, his attention shifted to what he saw there, and his words began to die away. Shell was still at the table, clutching a drink tightly in one hand. But she was not alone. Standing next to her was Avaric, all dressed up in his finest suit, learning in to whisper in her ear.

Fiyero felt anger and jealousy bubbling up inside him. He managed to say, "Would you excuse me?" to Boq and Nessa as his body pulled him toward the table. That bastard Avaric had always gotten any girl he wanted, but Fiyero was not going to let that happen tonight – not with Shell.

* * *

So maybe Shell hadn't been completely honest with Fiyero. She _was_ thirsty, yes, but that wasn't the real reason she had wanted to slip away. Well, _wanted_ wasn't really the right word – _needed_ was more like it. She couldn't tell Fiyero that she was slipping away to talk to some other guy, now, could she?

It wasn't what it looked like. Shell had no interest in Avaric whatsoever – not as a friend, and definitely not as a romantic partner. But she had noticed him staring at her at various points throughout the evening. She might have worked in a place where men stared at her all the time, but she was very good at knowing when any one man did _too_ much staring. It either meant he was genuinely interested or he was imagining her naked, and she had a pretty good idea which of the two categories Avaric fell into.

Shell was sick of Avaric's staring. She only knew one way to stop it. Unfortunately, that required talking to him. So, she told Fiyero she needed a drink and slipped away. Avaric would follow her; she knew it.

So it was no surprised when his voice appeared just after she had finished pouring herself a drink. "Well, well, if it isn't the most beautiful woman in the room. It must be my lucky day." He stepped up beside her and poured himself a drink as well.

Shell didn't turn to look at him. "It won't be so lucky if your wife finds out you said that."

"My wife is too busy with her gossipy friends to worry about me. She is really such a bore at parties."

"A pity, then, that she married you – the biggest bore of all. She'll never improve."

"And here I thought you thought more highly of me, Shell."

"On the contrary, Avaric – of you, I happen to think less."

"No need to be so harsh. Here I am, a simple man trying to give a woman a compliment, and she turns around and insults me."

"What do you want, Avaric?"

"Who says I want anything?"

"I do. Now tell me what it is so I can continue with my evening in peace."

"You haven't said _please_."

"And I don't intend to. But this will all go much more smoothly if you tell me what you want right now."

"What if I said all I want is to talk to you?"

"I'd say you were lying. Try again."

"What, I'm not allowed to want to talk to you?"

"I'm not stupid, Avaric. I know you want more than that."

Avaric stepped closer to her and leaned his head in toward hers. "Are you implying that _you_ want more than that?"

Shell somehow managed to keep herself from shuddering with revulsion at his nearness. She carefully stepped away. "I am implying nothing of the kind. I am in love with Fiyero; I _detest_ you."

"Ah, but isn't there such exhilaration in detestation? I've always thought so."

She still had no interest in him, but she had to admit, if only to herself, that he had a point. Loathing was just as powerful an emotion as loving, and powerful emotions had a tendency to cause a certain kind of exhilaration. It felt strangely good to loathe Avaric, almost as much as it felt good to love Fiyero.

Avaric moved toward her again. He leaned in again and began to whisper in her ear. "Haven't you thought about us? About that night – about how wonderful it was? We could be that way again, you know – and precious Fiyero would never have to know. All you have to do is say the word, and I'm yours." He reached a hand to her face and delicately stroked her diamonds.

Shell recoiled away from him, but she was speechless. Responding to his words was hard enough; responding to his touch was even more difficult. Ever since she had gotten those diamond tattoos, her skin there had been super sensitive. Apparently, Avaric knew that, and he was using it to his advantage.

"You liked that, didn't you?" Avaric asked. He advanced on her, lust in his eyes. "I can do so much more." He began to raise a hand to her cheek again.

Shell tried to back away, but her feet wouldn't move. She raised one of her hands, preparing to slap Avaric's hand away. "Don't touch me," she said, but her voice was far less authoritative than she would have liked. She felt as though she were being backed into a corner with nowhere to go.

"You know you want this," Avaric said, his voice low and deep.

"No, I…"

"Get your fucking hands away from my girlfriend!"

* * *

When Avaric reached up to touch her diamonds, a fresh wave of rage hit Fiyero. How dare that bastard touch her like that? And what was worse, why was she apparently letting him? She was perfectly capable of resisting him, so why did her attempts only look half-hearted?

But it was when Avaric whispered, "You know you want this" that Fiyero snapped.

"Get your fucking hands away from my girlfriend!" he shouted, storming his way toward them. Shell and Avaric immediately turned to look at him, and so did several other couples nearby.

"Fiyero, wait…" Shell began, but Fiyero didn't really hear her. He was too busy getting ready to beat the hell out of Avaric. Without hesitating for a moment, he marched straight up to Avaric and punched him in the nose as hard as he could. He heard the sounds of bones breaking as he pulled back.

"Oh, sweet Oz!" Avaric moaned, clutching at his nose and getting blood all over his hands. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Teaching you to keep your hands off my girl, you fucking bastard."

"Shell came to _me_, you idiot," Avaric retorted. "She knew I'd find her the moment she was alone, so she made sure that happened."

Fiyero turned to look at Shell. "No, that's not…" she began to protest.

"Isn't it?" Avaric cut her off. "You weren't surprised when I showed up at the refreshment table. You were waiting for me to come."

"No, I… Yero that's not true, I…" But Shell couldn't finish the sentence.

"You bastard," Fiyero said again to Avaric. He didn't want to believe that Shell had anything to do with this; she _couldn't_ have. It was all Avaric's fault – it had to be. "You lying bastard." He stepped forward again to throw another punch, but Avaric was ready this time. He ducked away from Fiyero's arm and threw a punch of his own, hitting Fiyero squarely in the jaw. Now even angrier, Fiyero went after Avaric again. He ignored Shell's attempts to get in-between them to stop the fighting. His only thought was to teach this bastard once and for all not to mess with his girl. He continued to throw and avoid punches, wanting very badly to knock Avaric to the ground and kick the shit out of him.

But suddenly, strong arms were grabbing him and pulling him away from Avaric, despite his protests. When Fiyero finally calmed down enough to see who it was, he realized that these were Gale Force officers. Two held tightly to Fiyero, but only one held Avaric, and he was not holding tightly at all.

"What's going on here?" asked one of the other officers, who seemed to be the one in charge. He was speaking only to Avaric.

"I was getting a drink and speaking to this young lady here when he came up and punched me," Avaric said calmly. "I must have been speaking to his date by accident. Still, I don't believe he had to go and break my nose. Had I known the young lady was already taken, I would have backed off, the way a true gentleman would."

"Bullshit," said Fiyero, earning him punch in the stomach. Rage seethed in him again. The officers didn't even bother to ask him or Shell to confirm Avaric's story; they automatically believed him because of who he was. Fiyero wanted very badly to punch the bastard again.

"My apologies for your pain, sir," the head officer told Avaric. "We shall certainly pay for any hospital bills necessary to have your nose restored."

"Thank you, officer," said Avaric, bowing his head in gratitude as the officer restraining him let him go.

"As for you," the head officer continued, turning to Fiyero, "unless this man wishes to press charges, we'll let you go. But I'm afraid the party's over for you – you'll have to be escorted outside."

"No charges are necessary, officer," Avaric said. "Just get him out of here so he won't hurt anyone else."

"Fine then, sir," said the head officer. "Men, take him outside."

"Right away, sir," one of the officers holding Fiyero replied. They began to push Fiyero toward the exit of the ballroom. Only now did Fiyero realize how many people had stopped to watch the proceedings. He only hoped word of this didn't spread too far; he'd never hear the end of it from his parents if they found out.

When they reached the door, the officers shoved Fiyero out into the snow. "Stay out, trouble-maker. We'll be watching," one said. The other laughed and they slammed the door shut as they retreated back inside. Fiyero didn't care that he was sitting in the snow without a coat. All he could think about was Avaric and how mad that bastard made him.

Only a few minutes passed before the door opened again. This time, it was Shell who came out the door. She had her coat on and was carrying his. She quickly dropped to his side and wrapped his coat around him. Then she helped him get to his feet so he wasn't sitting in the snow any longer.

"Yero, I'm so sorry," Shell said after they had stood for a minute or two in silence. "I shouldn't have gone to get a drink. It was stupid."

Fiyero stared at her. "So it was true, then – what he said about you coming to him?"

Shell squirmed, hesitating. "Sort of," she admitted. "But it wasn't like he said," she added quickly. "He was staring at me all night, and I knew the only way to get him off my back was to talk to him. That's why I needed to be alone – he wouldn't have come as long as you were with me."

"Why does this guy care so much?" I mean he barely knows you, right?" Fiyero looked to Shell for confirmation, but she didn't give it. Instead, she looked away from him. "What? What is it?"

Shell continued to look away. When she finally turned her head back to him, there was a strange hardness in it. She suddenly looked more like Elphaba than Fiyero had ever seen her before. "I slept with him once, about three months before I met you." Her words contained no emotion; they were as matter-of-fact as it was possible to be. Yet he still somehow suddenly felt sick. "I was drunk and overly self-conscious that night, and he was able to work his charms on me. After that, I didn't see him again until Lurlinemas Eve. I blew him off because I had you. No doubt that overly-large ego of his wasn't happy that I was choosing you instead of him. That's why he's after me, I suppose – he's too damn proud to admit that he can't have me."

Fiyero wasn't sure what to say. Shell's words made sense, but that didn't change the sick feeling in his gut. He wanted to only be angry at Avaric, but he couldn't get rid of the anger he now felt toward Shell. He _knew_ it wasn't really her fault, that she didn't deserve his anger, but he couldn't help it. Avaric was gorgeous, wealthy, and powerful, where _he_ was broken and battered and a prince who didn't want to be a prince. Avaric had even finished school, while Fiyero was only a drop-out. What guarantee did he have that Shell wouldn't choose Avaric over him in the end?

Shell seemed to notice his feelings of uncertainty. She leaned in and kissed him. "I love you, you know," she said. "You and only you."

Fiyero decided to push away his misgivings for now, in favor of loving Shell. He kissed her back, pulling her toward him, clinging tightly, as though he were claiming her. "I love you, too."

"I'm yours," Shell whispered. "Always."

They continued to kiss as the snow fell around them. Fiyero pulled away as he felt Shell begin to shiver. "Was that arousal, or are you cold?" he asked.

Shell chuckled. "A little of both."

"Maybe we should get out of the cold."

"We can't go back in the ballroom."

"No, that would be a very bad idea."

"So where do you want to go?"

Fiyero paused. "I know a quaint little café not far from here. It's on the way to the station, so we'll be able to see the others when they pass by."

"Do they have hot cocoa?" Shell asked.

"Most definitely." Fiyero grinned at her, and she grinned back.

"Then I'm in," she said. "I'll just run in and let someone know where we'll be."

"Okay," said Fiyero. "Hurry back."

Shell smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. "I will." Then she let go of him and disappeared back into the Ozdust.

As she vanished from his sight, Fiyero felt that sense of loss once again. But this time, it was coupled with stifled anger – a very unpleasant feeling, to say the least. He would have taken the awkwardness of standing alone on the dance floor over this feeling any day. He tried to focus on the fact that he would be spending more time with Shell tonight – that she was choosing him, and so he had won, in a way. But he couldn't quite shake the feelings of uneasiness. He suddenly understood why Elphaba was so uneasy with Glinda all the time. It wasn't easy loving someone who was clearly out of your league. He just had to keep loving her and hoping she would love him back. There was nothing more he could do beyond that. He just hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Glinda was more than a little surprised by Fiyero's outburst. She knew he could be impetuous, but he had never been violent. She hadn't seen him throw the first punch – she had been busy talking with Elphie and Dr. Dillamond – but she had seen the rest of the fight. Honestly, men could be so stupid sometimes. Why did they always feel the need to get into fights over everything? Glinda simply couldn't understand it.

"What do you suppose is going on there?" Dr. Dillamond asked, as he and Glinda and Elphaba watched the Gale Force officers dragging Fiyero out the door.

"Avaric was probably coming on to Shell again," Glinda said, disgusted. She was one of the only people who knew about Shell's brief history with that pompous jerk.

"And Fiyero must have noticed," Elphaba added.

Dr. Dillamond was surprised. "You know those two?" he asked.

"Of course," said Elphaba. "They were both at Shiz with me. Avaric was in my graduating class. They both lived with Glinda for a while, and now Fiyero is dating my sister."

"Miss Nessarose? But I saw her with that Munchkin boy – Boq, I believe his name was."

"Yes, Nessa's with Boq," said Elphaba. "I have another sister, Shell. She's the one Avaric and Fiyero were fighting over."

"Ah," said Dr. Dillamond, now understanding. "Two men fighting over a woman – how typical."

Glinda decided not to respond to that. Instead, she said, "You know, Elphie, I'm surprised at Fiyero. He's never been the type to start a fight."

"I wouldn't know," said Elphaba. "I haven't known him very long."

"Were there many fights when you were in school? At Shiz, I mean," Glinda asked. Perhaps Fiyero had been a fighter back then, and it was only resurfacing now.

"I would hardly be the one to ask," Elphaba replied. "At least, not about petty fights between boys over girls. I was never involved in anything of the sort. I may cause commotions wherever I go, but I've never caused anything related to romance or sex. And if you're wondering whether Fiyero participated in any fights back then," she added, apparently sensing Glinda's true question, the way she always did, "I believe you would be disappointed. From the little I saw of him, he was never the fighting sort. He was always extremely easygoing, never getting hung up on anything, even if it would have been good for him."

"That _does_ sound like him," Glinda admitted. "I was only curious. I find this new behavior of his fascinating."

"Not in a good way, I hope," said Elphaba.

"Of course not," said Glinda. "I certainly don't want this streak of violence to continue."

"Nor I," said Elphaba. "You have to admit, though, we've managed to do rather fine job of causing commotions here tonight."

"And just think, Elphie, none of them have been your fault."

"Something _must_ be wrong with the world." It was faint, but Glinda definitely saw a smile on Elphaba's face. The green woman really did have such a sense of humor sometimes.

"Elphaba, Glinda!" A voice from behind Elphaba caught their attention. The green woman and the Goat spun to see the source of the voice. It was Shell, all bundled up in her coat, with snowflakes melting in her hair.

"Shell, what is it?" Elphaba asked.

"Yero's been kicked out, so we're going to a café on the way to the train station," Shell explained quickly. "I just wanted to let you know." She turned to leave again, but Elphaba grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Wait, Shell, before you go, there's someone I want you to meet," Elphie said. Shell turned all the way around as Elphaba let go of her arm. "Dr. Dillamond, this is my youngest sister, Shell. Shell, this is Dr. Dillamond, the finest teacher at Shiz."

"Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Dillamond," said Shell, extending a hand for Dr. Dillamond to shake.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Shell," he replied. "And might I say, your sister flatters me. I'm a humble professor of history; nothing more, and nothing less."

"He's being modest," Elphaba insisted.

"Now, Miss Elphaba…"

"Pardon me," Shell interrupted. "Forgive me for cutting you off, but Fiyero's waiting for me out in the snow. I'd love to stay, but I've really got to go."

"Alright," said Elphaba. "Go meet your man."

"And do try to keep him from picking any fights at the café," Glinda added, not able to resist the chance to pick on her friend. It seemed the Thropp sisters had really rubbed off on her.

"I will," Shell assured her. "It was lovely meeting you, Dr. Dillamond."

"Likewise, Miss Shell," he replied. "I hope we have a chance to meet again."

Shell answered with a nod, then said a quick good-bye to Elphaba and Glinda and disappeared.

"She seems a bit distracted," said Dr. Dillamond as Shell vanished into the sea of black and white gowns and tuxedos.

"Not distracted," Glinda said. "Determined. She's on a mission, and she won't be distracted from it."

"Ah, much like her sister, then," Dr. Dillamond said fondly, looking at Elphaba. "It was never possible to distract Miss Elphaba either, once she had her mind set on something."

"No, indeed," came a voice that Glinda only vaguely recognized. This is, she had heard it before, somewhere, but she couldn't place it. This time, it was Glinda who had to turn, since the voice came from behind her. The voice came from a tall woman – if she _was_ a woman; Glinda thought she resembled a fish more than anything else. The woman – for that was what she was, Glinda decided – wore a reddish-orange gown that tapered down to her feet. Her hair was huge and an unnatural shade of blonde, and her face was far too pale to look healthy. Glinda recognized her now. She wondered how she had never noticed how similar Madame Morrible looked to a carp.

"I am surprised to see you here, Miss Elphaba," Madame Morrible continued. "You never gave me the impression that you were one for parties."

"That may be the first accurate impression you've ever had of me," said Elphaba. Glinda knew that Elphaba had no love at all for the former headmistress of Shiz. It wasn't surprising, considering the way the old carp was looking at her now. "Congratulations."

"Impertinent as always, I see," said Madame Morrible. "How _did_ you manage to secure an invitation?"

"My friend Crope teaches at Oz U, and he invited us," Elphaba answered.

"I see." Madame Morrible turned to look down at Glinda. "And you – you are Miss Galinda Arduenna, if I am not mistaken."

"It's Glinda now. The 'Ga' is silent."

Madame Morrible ignored her words. "I must admit, I'm surprised to see you here as well, Miss Galinda. I spoke with your mother earlier this evening, and she was under the impression that you were still in the city tonight. Not that she seemed very upset by this – I do believe your protest may have unnerved her."

Glinda felt herself go pale. Her mother was _here?_ Now? She supposed she shouldn't be surprised; her mother and father were important people who would relish events like this. But Momsie and Popsicle rarely ventured out of Frottica, let alone the Pertha Hills. They almost never made the effort to visit Shiz or the Emerald City for any reason at all. She assumed that if her mother was here, then her father was as well. But what in Oz would bring them here?

Glinda looked over at Elphaba. Her girlfriend didn't look any happier at the idea of seeing Glinda's mother and father than Glinda was. Elphaba was usually quite brave when it came to meeting people, and that usually helped Glinda do the same. But there was fear in Elphaba's eyes now, which only made Glinda feel worse.

But she wouldn't let Madame Morrible see that. She quickly adjusted her facial expression, making it as blank and expressionless as she could manage. "You've spoken to my mother? How delightful. Is she here?"

"She is, indeed," Madame Morrible replied, and any hopes that Glinda had that she might be mistaken were dashed instantly. "She and your father are still at the banquet, I believe."

"The banquet?" Glinda repeated, confused.

Madame Morrible pretended to look shocked. "Surely you knew about the banquet held this evening," she said. "It was held in the hall just off the ballroom, and only for high society citizens, of course." She regarded Glinda with a curious look. "Surely you were invited, what with your parents being who they are."

Glinda nearly shook her head, but decided to remain perfectly still instead. "Even if I had received such an invitation, I would have declined. Those silly banquets are a waste of my time."

"Are they, Miss Galinda?" Morrible's gaze was now distinctly disapproving. "Your parents would be devastated to hear you say such a thing."

It was at that moment that Elphaba stepped forward again and interjected herself. "Was there something you wanted, Madame? Glinda and I were in the middle of a pleasant conversation with Dr. Dillamond. So if you would state your business, we could all go back to what we really mean to be doing. In your case, I suppose that would be bothering all the guests at the banquet with your presence."

Glinda couldn't help but let slip a slight grin. She was surprised that Elphaba had held her tongue for so long, and was grateful for the excuse to change the subject. Besides, there was nothing quite like Elphie's wit.

Meanwhile, Madame Morrible did not look as amused. She cast a quick glance at Dr. Dillamond, then immediately turned to Elphaba, as though the Goat wasn't there at all."That mouth of yours will get you into trouble one day," she said. Her look of disappointment changed to one of barely-disguised loathing as she looked at Elphaba.

But Elphaba was unfazed by any of it. "I _am_ trouble," she replied, taking another defiant step toward the fish-like woman. "A little more of me won't hurt."

Morrible continued to glare at her, but she must not have had a good response to that, for she turned back to Glinda. "I came to you to see if I could find a way to talk to your friend, Master Boq. He has not returned any of my calls, and I am waiting for his answer. I would greatly like to speak with him about the whole matter."

Glinda hesitated, purposefully avoiding meeting Elphaba's eyes. She knew it wasn't fair to inflict Madame Morrible on poor Boq, especially when he had so much on his mind already, what with his date with Nessa and all. But this was network television they were talking about. It would be a dream come true for Glinda to perform on network TV, and surely Boq would be happy to see his footage broadcast across Oz. And besides, it wasn't as though he had to actually commit to anything tonight; it would just be a conversation. Surely there wasn't anything wrong with that, was there?

"He's around here… somewhere," Glinda answered, being sure to sound as vague as possible. At least this way Morrible would be responsible for finding Boq, taking some of the blame off Glinda's shoulders. "I can't be sure where he's gotten off too; Elphie and I have been too busy to keep an eye on him."

Madame Morrible's lips curled upward in amusement. "Elphie?" she repeated, now turning to look at the green woman again. "Is that what you like to be called now, Miss Elphaba?"

"Only by petite blonde women who sleep in her bed every night," Glinda said, surprising herself with her own boldness. She put her hand on Elphaba's shoulder and shifted to stand closer to the green woman than would be seen as proper. Elphie smiled down at her, but her cheeks burned a darker shade of green. Elphie wasn't normally embarrassed by this sort of thing, but Madame Morrible seemed to have more of an effect on her than she was trying to let on.

Morrible looked back and forth at the pair of them, a disgusted expression growing on her face as she realized exactly what Glinda was implying. Now, looking at the carp-like woman, Glinda realized that her words might not have been the wisest ones. She had yet to tell her parents about Elphaba, and she wouldn't be surprised if Madame Morrible went straight back to the banquet to do it for her. Glinda felt herself go pale again at the thought. It would be difficult enough to tell them herself, with Elphaba standing nearby for support; she didn't know if she could handle what they would do if they learned of the relationship from Morrible. She would be more to twist it in all the wrong ways, putting Glinda in as bad a standing as possible.

But what could she do now? She had already spoken the words, and there was no taking them back. She might as well make the best of it. Summoning up her courage once again, Glinda held fast to Elphaba. As if she knew what Glinda was thinking, Elphaba reached her hand down and captured Glinda's hand with it, interweaving their fingers in an unbreakable pattern of green and white. The blush in Elphie's cheeks had disappeared, and all that was left was a smile.

"Glinda and I are done talking to you now," Elphaba said matter-of-factly. The lack of emotion she could put into her voice was sometimes more frightening then when she was angry. "You wanted to know where Master Boq is, and we've answered you. You have no more business with either of us, so go and leave us in peace."

Madame Morrible, who was still recovering from shock at Glinda's revelation, suddenly hardened her face and glared menacingly at Elphaba. "I knew from the beginning that you'd come to no good, Miss Elphaba. I did what I could to help you when you were under my care at Shiz, but I see now that no amount of rehabilitation can change a truly _wicked_ nature."

Before Elphaba could respond, Morrible turned her attention to Glinda. "As for _you_, Miss Galinda, I have only this one piece of advice: You have the opportunity to make something of yourself in this world. Don't waste it on foolishness and hopeless cases."

She was gone before either Glinda or Elphaba could say anything at all. Next to Glinda, Elphaba let out a low hissing sound, seething with anger and frustrated that she had no chance to retort. Her hand squeezed Glinda's hand so hard that Glinda yelped and tore her hand away. At the sound of Glinda's squeal, Elphaba's anger melted enough for her to turn to face her girlfriend, an apologetic expression on her face.

"Oh no," she said quickly. "Did I hurt you?"

Glinda shook her hand a few times to relieve the pressure, but she was not really that angry at Elphaba. How could she be? Was it Elphie's fault that Madame Morrible was such a horrible person? "I'm alright," she reassured Elphaba. "You just squeezed my hand a little hard – that's all."

"I'm sorry, honeybear." Elphie raised Glinda's hurt hand to her lips and kissed it tenderly. "I didn't mean to let Horrible Morrible get to me. It's just that she's… well…"

"I know what you mean," Glinda said. "She's a real bitch, isn't she?"

To her surprise, Elphaba burst out laughing. "What?" Glinda asked. "What's so funny?"

"You," Elphaba somehow managed to answer between bursts of laughter. "Your mouth," she clarified. "I've never heard you swear as much at people as you've done tonight."

"Well it's true," Glinda said seriously, putting her hands on her hips. She couldn't see what was so funny about this – she was being perfectly serious. "Don't you think?"

"Of course I do," Elphaba laughed. "I'm well aware that she's a bitch. I just can't get over hearing you say it."

To be honest, Glinda still could not see what was so funny about her word choice. But it didn't matter. She hadn't seen Elphie laugh like this in a very long time. _Actually_, she thought, _I've _never_ heard her laugh like this before_. The sight and sound of Elphie's laughter was so wonderful that it drove all thoughts of Madame Morrible from her mind. In fact, though she had no real idea of why this was so funny, Elphie's laughter was so infectious that Glinda found herself laughing right alongside her.

As their laughter finally died down, Glinda heard Dr. Dillamond comment, "It's so lovely to hear that laugh, Miss Elphaba. I don't believe I've ever heard you laugh before." Glinda turned to the Goat in surprise; she'd nearly forgotten he was there. She felt rather guilty for this. It would not do to have her forgetting about the Animals – Elphie would kill her.

"It's good to laugh," Elphaba replied. "I don't think I do it nearly often enough."

"We'll have to work on that, won't we, pookie?" Glinda said, grinning.

"We will, indeed," Elphaba answered. She smiled down at Glinda, and Glinda smiled back.

"Well, ladies, this has been lovely," said Dr. Dillamond. "But I'm afraid that I must leave you now. I'm feeling rather tired, and I think I'll retire for the night."

"Won't you stay a few more minutes?" Elphaba asked, clearly sad to see the Goat go.

"I have been very hard at work for many days, Miss Elphaba," Dr. Dillamond answered, "and I'm afraid I haven't been getting enough rest. As long as I'm taking the night off, I think I shall try to catch up on some of my sleep."

"I understand," said Elphaba. She put her arms around Dr. Dillamond and hugged him. This surprised Glinda, since Elphaba was normally not the sort of person who gave out hugs. "It's been really good to see you again."

"It's been a pleasure, my dear," said Dr. Dillamond. "I hope I shall see you again soon. And it has been lovely to meet you again, Miss Glinda. Take care of Miss Elphaba for me, will you?"

"I'll do my best," Glinda promised.

"Well, then," said Dr. Dillamond. "Until we meet again." He bowed politely to each of them, and then turned and began to make his way toward the door.

Glinda watched him go, then turned to look at Elphaba, who had a sad look in her eyes as she watched him go. "Are you alright, pookie?" she asked.

Elphaba tore her eyes away from the door and looked to Glinda, nodding. "I'm fine," she said. "It's just really good to see him again." Glinda was sure that Elphaba wasn't telling her something, but she could tell that Elphaba wasn't planning on sharing. Instead, Elphaba reached her hand down again to squeeze Glinda's hand, being more careful not to hurt her this time.

But Glinda decided to do Elphaba one better. She stretched up on her toes and pulled Elphaba's head down at the same time, making sure their lips met in the middle. It was a simple, relatively chaste kiss. But it did the trick. When she pulled back, Elphie was grinning again, even wider than before. Her eyes, as dark as they were, were shining in the dim light of the ballroom, as though they lit up themselves.

But as she stood up straight again, Elphaba's eyes shifted so that her gaze fell behind Glinda, and suddenly her smile disappeared. Her face turned as pale a green as Glinda had ever seen, and it instantly hardened into her best defensive expression. Glinda knew immediately that Elphaba had seen something terrible behind her, and she had no desire to turn to find out what it was.

But Glinda didn't need to turn. "Galinda? Is that you?" She had heard that voice more times than she could begin to count, though she had never heard it sound quite so scandalized.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her suddenly rushing heart, Glinda slowly turned to face her mother and father. "Hello, Momsie," she said evenly. "Hello, Popsicle."

Larena and Highmuster Arduenna were dressed in their finest, as far as Glinda could see. Larena wore an ivory dress that was in the style of the latest fashions, though it had clearly been made especially for her, the way all good dresses were made. And Highmuster, who usually wore the same dress suit he'd had for years, wore a brand-new coat and pair of trousers. His hair was beginning to turn white, Glinda noticed, but her mother's hair was as rich a red color as ever (Glinda had gotten her beautiful blonde hair from her father). They both looked as regal and elegant as Glinda had always thought them.

Unfortunately, at present, they also looked quite capable of murder.

"It's so good to see you," Glinda said, trying to sound as genuine as possible. It was partly true – she _was_ happy to see her Momsie and Popsicle after being away from home for so long. But this was not how she'd wanted to meet them again after so long. She had no doubt that Madame Morrible had found them, and she was quite sure that they had seen that kiss as well.

"Yes, well, if you came home every now and again, you would see us more often, wouldn't you?" said Larena.

Glinda sighed. It seemed they were skipping the polite pretenses and greetings and were going straight to the heart of the matter – or as close to the heart of the matter as her mother would let herself get. Glinda was getting better at this whole cutting-to-the-core thing, since it was Elphie's preferred style of conversation. But she was completely unused to her mother employing the same technique, so it caught her off-guard. Nevertheless, Glinda knew how to do this by now. She readied herself for the full-frontal assault and forged ahead.

"I'm busy, Mother," she said, failing to use her usual nickname for her mother purely by accident. Still, as she thought about it, calling her mother "Momsie" didn't seem appropriate at the moment, so she gave herself credit for a good word choice.

If Larena noticed the change, she didn't say anything. Instead, she focused on the rest of Glinda's answer. "Busy, are you? Doing what, exactly? No one's seen or heard from you in months."

"I've been performing," Glinda answered vaguely. She had never really explained what she did for a living to her parents, and she didn't intend to do so now.

"I see," said Larena, her lips pursed. "Is that what you call that _disgraceful_ protest that put you on the news? 'Performing'? I tell you, Galinda, we were absolutely _mortified_ when we heard of it. Do you know how many people saw it? Thank Lurline we were able to dispel most of the rumors by convincing our friends that it wasn't you."

Glinda could practically feel Elphaba's temper flaring beside her. "That protest was for a good cause," she replied, as calmly as possible. "They were planning to force all the homeless off an empty lot in order to build a cyber studio. We couldn't allow them to treat people that way." But Glinda had no hope that her parents would care at all about the homeless on the lot. They were more likely to take Avaric's side. But she needed to prevent Elphie from getting angry, if that was possible, and defending the protest herself was the best way to do that.

As expected, her father let out a harrumph. "You call that a good cause?" he asked. "From what I've heard, a cyber studio would do the place some good. Maybe it'll help those bums find a job."

"Bums?" Before Glinda could stop her, Elphaba was at her side, unable to keep silent any longer. "Do you really think any of them _chose_ to be out on the streets? Is it their fault that landlords and business owners are greedy and take advantage of people who can't fight back? Should they be blamed for the problems of society and the fact that anyone who's even the slightest bit different can't possibly hope to get ahead in life? What better cause is there than to defend those who can't defend themselves?"

"Elphie!" Glinda quickly seized her girlfriend's arms and kept Elphie from advancing on her parents. She believed in every word that Elphaba was saying, but she couldn't help but cringe at the tone in Elphaba's voice. This was certainly not the way she wanted to introduce Elphie to her parents. It might even be a worse introduction than that kiss, if that was possible.

Glinda's exclamation managed to silence the green woman long enough for Larena to step forward and interrupt what would have turned into a much longer speech. "Who are _you_, and what right do you have to criticize my husband and myself?"

"Yes, I would like to know that, too," Highmuster added, stepping forward to stand by his wife. "I'd also like to know what business you have kissing my daughter." He turned to Glinda, who felt a blush rising to color her cheeks. "Perhaps our darling Galinda would care to explain."

Glinda felt herself start to shrink under the combined gaze of her mother and father. Her mother might not have been able to address the question of Glinda's sexuality, but her father seemed to be able to ask about it without any trouble. Glinda's mind raced as she searched for an explanation for her parents, but words seemed to be failing her. In desperation, she turned to Elphaba for help, but the look in Elphaba's eyes told her that this was her responsibility, like it or not. Glinda swallowed hard, silently praying to Lurline to help her get through this.

"Could we perhaps discuss this somewhere else?" Glinda finally managed to ask. She needed more time to take all of this in. Besides, if she really wanted this out in the open, it had better be done away from the public eye. Her parents would be worse in private, but at least it would mean that everything was said at once.

Highmuster and Larena exchanged glances. Then, slowly, Larena nodded. "I suppose that would be best. We simply _cannot_ have any more scandals right now."

Her husband nodded approvingly. "Well said, dear. Perhaps we should move to one of the private lounges."

"A very good idea, darling," said Larena. "Why don't you lead the way?"

Glinda watched her father nod, turn, and walk in the direction he had come. She looked over at Elphaba, but Elphie was too busy forcing herself to follow Highmuster to notice. The green woman walked about as confidently as she could manage. Behind her, she left Glinda alone with her mother.

"After you, Galinda dear," Larena said, waving a hand casually in the direction Highmuster and Elphaba had gone.

Glinda repressed the urge to inform her mother that the "Ga" in her name was now silent. She didn't need anything else to explain at the moment. Instead, she tried to ignore her mother as she turned to follow her girlfriend. She made her way carefully through the crowd. With her mind still racing, Glinda couldn't focus, and so she nearly knocked over several people. She apologized each time, but barely noticed what she was going. She was so distracted that she barely registered the change when they left the ballroom and found themselves in a long, mostly empty hallway. Glinda didn't even realize that she had caught up to Elphaba until she felt a green hand slip itself into hers. Suddenly aware again, she looked up at Elphie, but her girlfriend was staring straight ahead, almost as though she were trying to bore holes into the back of Glinda's father's head with just her gaze. Glinda didn't mind, though; Elphaba was focused, and when she was focused, she was dangerous. Now that they'd already ruined the first impression, Glinda supposed it would be good to have Elphaba at her most powerful and dangerous.

After ascending a flight of stairs and going partway down another hallway, Highmuster led them into a small room. The three sides of the room away from the door were line with faded emerald-green couches. In the center of the room was a circular coffee table, with a single pot of fake pink flowers as the centerpiece. The carpet was a deep brown – the same shade as Elphie's eyes, Glinda thought – while the walls were a faded pink color. Glinda found the room to be perfect, though she doubted her parents had any idea that the room they had chosen proved beyond any doubt that pink really did go good with green.

But as everyone entered the room, Glinda's attention was drawn away from the colors of the walls and couches. Her parents moved further into the room, leaving Glinda to stand near the door with Elphaba, still hand in hand. At any other time, Glinda might have extracted her hand from Elphaba's by now, but her parents had already seen them kissing, so there wasn't much of a point of hiding anything.

"Now," Highmuster began, once they were all in the room and the door was shut behind them, "Galinda, explain."

Glinda took a deep breath and looked up at Elphaba one last time for support. This time, Elphie looked back at her, her eyes blazing with defiance. She squeezed Glinda's hand lightly, urging her to go on, and Glinda found her courage, knowing Elphaba would be there the whole time.

"Momsie, Popsicle, this is Elphaba Thropp," she began, her voice shaking in spite of herself. "She's the oldest daughter of the governor of Munchkinland. She graduated from Shiz University, and she currently works as a lawyer in the Emerald City. She's strong-willed and isn't afraid to speak her mind, even when she should probably hold her tongue, but she's also extremely loyal and good-hearted. I've never met a more kind or wonderful person in all of my life. And for that, and for many other reasons…" Glinda paused, almost afraid to say it. She tried to focus on the feeling of Elphie's hand in hers, and somehow found the strength to say, "… I love her. Momsie and Popsicle, Elphaba is my girlfriend. I am undeniably and irrevocably in love with her."

The silence that filled the room was pregnant, filled with shock and tension, spoken and unspoken feelings, and more awkwardness than Glinda had ever felt before. Still, she felt a momentary relief at having said all of that at last. Now it was out, for better or worse, and her parents could do whatever they wanted with it.

A moment later, she feared that they would do just that. Her mother simply stared at her, shocked. Then suddenly, a burst of laughter left her and echoed through the room. "Galinda, my darling, you must be joking. What a cruel joke to play on us, dear. Your father and I can't take this sort of amusement well – you know that."

Glinda wasn't completely surprised. Her mother had never been good at dealing with certain types of information. She tended to dismiss anything she didn't want to hear as a joke. "No, Mother, it's not a joke. I'm completely serious."

Larena's laughter and smiled faded. She exchanged glances with her husband. "She is, isn't she?" Larena looked back at Glinda. "You're not joking, are you? I thought you were trying to play one of your silly jokes on us, but you're wearing your serious face. Oh Oz, Highmuster, she's wearing her serious face." Suddenly her mother looked as though she were about to faint. "Oh, sweet Oz…"

"Galinda, dear, you can't be serious," said her father. "Your mother and I raised you right."

"I know, Popsicle, but…"

"Whatever happened to that nice Munchkin boy we met last Lurlinemas?" her mother interrupted. "I know we were a little less than approving of him at the time, but he really was such a nice boy."

_A little less than approving? That's an understatement_. Her parents had all but hated Boq, mostly because they were convinced that no Munchkinlander could ever be good enough for their precious Galinda. "Boq is here tonight, actually," Glinda said. "But I left him a few months ago. He's with Elphaba's younger sister now."

Her mother's hopeful expression faded for a moment, then reappeared again. "Well, perhaps a good Gillikinese boy, then," she said. "What about that Avaric fellow that you mentioned last year? You said he was Gillikinese, didn't you?"

"He is, but he's married," Glinda answered. "And even if he wasn't, I would never be with him. He's a lying, backstabbing creep. And please," she added, "stop trying to set me up with someone else. I told you, I love Elphaba, and I don't want to be with anyone else." She squeezed Elphie's hand a little more tightly to emphasize her point, though only Elphaba noticed it.

"But Galinda darling…"

"I'm sorry, Mother. I'm not changing my mind. Nothing you can say can make me stop loving Elphie."

Both of her parents stared at her, not saying a word. It seemed they were finally realizing that they could not convince their daughter of anything. But she could tell that they weren't done fighting yet. If they were done targeting her, then there was only one other person to go after. Glinda looked up at Elphaba, who seemed to be as aware of what was coming as Glinda was. Or perhaps she had just been wearing that same hard expression on her face the entire time.

As Glinda expected, her father advanced on Elphaba next. Neither of her parents had moved closer to her as they had spoken to her, but Highmuster was not afraid to get up into Elphaba's face. They were about the same height, but Elphaba's green skin, angular features, and penetrating eyes made her look much more menacing. Nevertheless, her father stared the green woman down, sporting as frightening an expression as he could manage.

"So you're the green devil woman who's corrupted my daughter," her father said. "Tell me, _witch_, how many spells have you cast on her? Hmm? How much of your vile sorcery did it take to get her into your bed?"

"Father!" Glinda cried, shocked and horrified by his accusations.

"Silence," Highmuster ordered her. "The Galinda I raised would _never_ love a green woman. You've obviously been placed under this wicked witch's spell, and I intend to see that she reverses it."

"But you can't reverse a spell once it's been cast," Glinda argued. She didn't know much about magic, but she knew _that_ much.

Her father didn't listen. "Tell me what you've done, witch."

"I am no witch," Elphaba said firmly. It was the truth, Glinda knew. Elphie had some natural magical talent (Glinda had seen it before when Elphie had gotten really angry), but she certainly had no control over it. "I studied law, history, and life sciences at Shiz, not sorcery. I couldn't conjure up even a glass of water for myself if I was thirsty. If I had wanted to put a spell on Glinda, I would have failed miserably."

"You're lying," Highmuster insisted. "You got someone to do it for you, or else you really did it and you're just trying to cover it up."

"Or maybe Glinda is acting completely of her own volition, and her close-minded parents aren't willing to accept it," Elphaba argued. Glinda doubted that using the term "close-minded" was going to help anything, but what was said was said. "I find it to be rather terrible that two parents could dismiss their only daughter's words out of hand as though they meant nothing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you don't trust her."

Glinda wasn't surprised that her parents looked even more furious than before. "How _dare_ you?" her mother hissed, moving to join her husband again. She lifted a perfectly-manicured hand and pointed a finger in Elphaba's face. "How dare you speak to my husband and I that way? Who do you think you are?"

Elphaba did not back down. "I'm Elphaba Thropp," she said. "I'm in love with your daughter, and if you don't treat her right, I'll make sure you know it. I don't give a damn what you have to say about me, and I sure as hell won't let you tell me what I can or cannot say. You can accept me or not – it's your choice – but I'm not leaving Glinda. The sooner you realize that, the better off we'll all be."

Silence filled the room again. After a moment, Elphaba spoke again. Her voice was slightly gentler now, but not any less firm. "Come, Glinda. Let's go find the others. I think it's about time we headed home."

Glinda nodded. There was nothing she wanted more than to be at home with Elphaba. But she didn't move right away. "You go ahead, Elphie," she said. She didn't really want to be alone with her parents at the moment, but she wasn't completely sure she wanted Elphie to have the last word. "I'll catch up with you in a moment."

She hesitated, then stretched upward to give Elphaba her usual good-bye kiss, regardless of the fact that her parents were still watching. They already knew the secret; there was no point trying to hide it or make it appear to be anything less than it was.

Elphaba gave her a worried look, but Glinda just smiled, trying to reassure her. "I'll be fine," Glinda said quietly, so only Elphaba could make out the words. "I just need a moment alone with them."

Elphaba didn't look reassured at all, but she nodded. "Don't be long," she replied. "And don't let them bully you. Hold out, my sweet." She leaned in to give Glinda another kiss. This one was longer and deeper than the last. Elphie seemed intent on making Glinda's parents as uncomfortable as possible. As long as Elphie's lips were on hers, Glinda didn't give a damn about anything else. But when they parted and Elphaba reluctantly left the room, the sting of her absence was almost too great for Glinda to handle.

And then she was forced with facing her parents again. She turned around slowly, not able to meet their eyes. Her mother looked too stunned by all this to speak, and her father, as furious as he was, didn't look much better. They both stared at the door through which Elphaba had left. When she had been gone for several long moments, they turned their attention back to their daughter. The moment their eyes fell on her again, Glinda wished she hadn't been stupid and had gone with Elphaba.

But there was no turning back now. She had wanted the last word, and she was going to get it. So Glinda summoned up every ounce of courage she had, and then some, and boldly took a step toward her parents. She took one final deep breath to calm herself, and then began to speak, using the boldest and yet most polite voice she could manage.

"You wonder why I never come home? Well, this is why. You treat me like a princess as long as I do what you want, but the moment I try to find happiness by doing what I love, you turn on me and cast me aside like a pair of last season's shoes. You only care about your own damn opinions; you never stop to think about what _I _think, or what makes _me_ happy. Well, I'll tell you what I think." Her voice began to lose some of its politeness as she got angrier and angrier.

"I think that when I'm on stage, performing in front of people, I feel like I'm _accomplishing_ something. I think that standing up for the rights of the underprivileged is important, and I'm _proud_ to be involved. I think that living in a rundown apartment with my closest male friends is far more exciting than living in a penthouse suite all by myself. I think that going to a party with real, true friends, even if they happen to be poor and rundown and broken, is far more worthwhile than spending an evening trying to climb the social ladder.

"And most of all," she continued, now standing very close to her father and looking him straight in the eye, "I _know_, without a doubt, that I love Elphaba Thropp, and that she loves me back. Sure, our relationship isn't perfect, but that's not what matters. I love her more than I love anyone else in this world, and nothing you can say or do is going to change that. If you _really_ want to know what makes me happy, then you don't have to look any farther. _Elphaba_ is what makes me happy. When I'm with her, I simply couldn't be happier."

Glinda left it at that, for it seemed like a good place to stop. Leaving her parents staring after her, she turned on her heels and marched straight out the door. She turned left, which she was fairly certain was the direction she needed to go.

But before she could take more than a step or two, she collided with something all black and green. She lost her balance and nearly fell over. Fortunately, the black and green thing was quick enough to catch her. "Sorry!" Elphie said quickly. "I didn't give you enough warning."

"No, you didn't," Glinda agreed, though she couldn't possibly be angry with Elphie for it – not when she was nestled safely in Elphie's arms. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought I told you to go on ahead."

"You did. I didn't listen," Elphaba answered. Glinda gave her a look, but Elphaba continued, "I couldn't leave you alone with them. They were being absolutely horrible to you."

"They're my parents," said Glinda. "I lived with them for eighteen _years_; I think I'm quite capable of handling a few minutes with them."

"I'd say you certainly are," said Elphaba. Now she was smiling proudly at Glinda. "I heard your speech. It was absolutely brilliant."

"You think so?"

"I would have thrown in a few more profanities, myself, but that's just a matter of taste." Glinda's eyebrows rose, and Elphaba smirked at her. "Besides, I think you really hit the nail on the head. And, well… I really liked what you said – about me, I mean." Her voice softened, becoming much more serious. "It was really sweet."

"Well, thank you. I'm glad you think so."

Elphaba's expression changed again, and Glinda was suddenly confused. Now she looked sad, rather than happy or proud. "What's wrong?" Glinda asked.

Elphaba turned her head away, suddenly unable to meet Glinda's eyes. "Are they true?" she asked quietly. "All those things you said about me? Are they really true?"

Glinda's heart broke once again for her Elphie. She knew by now that Elphaba's self-esteem was almost non-existent, despite the amount of attention and respect she commanded. She was exceptionally skilled at hiding it, but she really had a quite low view of herself, born out of the color of her skin and the treatment she had received as a child. Glinda was striving to change that about Elphaba, but all her best efforts seemed for naught sometimes. Still, she pressed on, determined to prove to Elphaba that she was worth something, and that she was loved.

Glinda took Elphaba's face in her hands and turned it to look at her. "I meant every word I said," she told the woman she loved. "I've never meant anything in my life more than I meant those words in there."

"Really?" Glinda could see Elphaba struggling to believe it.

"Yes," she said firmly. "But now I want to say something I mean even more than that."

Elphaba looked surprised. "What?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat.

"This," Glinda replied. "I love you, Elphie, with all my heart." And before Elphie could say a single word in response, Glinda pulled the green woman in for a kiss. It startled Elphaba at first, but soon she melted and returned the kiss with equal force.

When at last they parted, both were breathless, and Elphaba was smiling. Glinda supposed she was smiling too, but she cared only about Elphie's smile. "I love you, too, my sweet," said Elphaba. "And for that, I think I'm the luckiest green woman in Oz."

Now giddy from the kiss, Glinda had to laugh. "You're the _only_ green woman in Oz," she pointed out.

To her delight, Elphaba began laughing too. "That's very true," she said. "And, as the sole green woman in all of Oz, I hereby declare that we should go find the others and catch a train back home."

"You don't want to go back to the party? But we were having _so_ much fun, running into old acquaintances and all that."

"I've had quite enough of old acquaintances for one night," Elphaba said, scowling a little as she looked back at the door to the room in which Glinda's parents still were.

"Then perhaps we can have our own little party at home," Glinda suggested. The thought of Elphie lying naked on their bed crossed her mind, and suddenly her smile became seductive of its own accord. "I can think of something that you promised me earlier that would make me feel much, much better."

Elphaba's eyes filled with lust as she smiled back at Glinda. "Then we had better get a move on. I wouldn't want you to miss out on any… Valentine's Day _activities_." Her voice was low and husky, and it made Glinda shudder with anticipation.

They turned and hurried off toward the ballroom, hand in hand. As they went, Glinda considered how strange it was that she could go from being absolutely furious and disgusted with her parents to being lust-filled and horny in only a matter of minutes. It felt as though she had gone through the full spectrum of emotions in the last few minutes, from rage to laughter to sadness to all-out lust. Perhaps that final speech she had given her parents had finally released all her pent-up emotions, and now they were just sitting there on the edge of her brain, waiting to be used.

To be honest, Glinda didn't care. Her thoughts ran wild, and she didn't try to stop them. A memory of Elphaba's tongue between her legs kept repeating itself in her mind, causing shivers to run up and down her spine. But she didn't try to push the memories aside, even though she was still out in public at a proper, social event. Glinda loved her Elphie, and she planned to make love to Elphie all night long, and she didn't care if the whole world knew. She was walking on air.

Glinda gripped Elphaba's hand just a little bit tighter, and they kept running, unchallenged by anyone and anything. And Glinda couldn't be happier.


End file.
